


take one, camera, action!

by buzuki



Category: TWICE (Band)
Genre: Backup Dancer!Momo, F/F, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Love Triangles, Mutual Pining, Soloist!Sana, also michaeng is there for like 5 seconds, give and take a few elements and this is a kdrama, one sided mimo
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-08
Updated: 2019-08-06
Packaged: 2019-09-14 11:59:44
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 27,052
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16912479
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/buzuki/pseuds/buzuki
Summary: “All I’m saying is, Hirai-san, just think about it. The company will have a press meeting at five, so you have some time before you come to a decision. Again, I’m not forcing you to do anything, you can say the word and we will never be seen together ever again. But consider and let me know.”or:Super idol Sana is trapped in a slave contract. Naturally, she tries to escape by violating it. A misunderstanding with the backup dancer Momo and a dating scandal might be just what she needs.





	1. Exhaustion

Hello guys, gals and non-binary pals! 

We are very excited about this story, and we hope you like it too. We mainly wrote for Mamamoo in the past, (hello to our readers who come from those stories!) but we couldn't deny our love for Twice any longer. 

Except the first chapter, we will publish the chapters first on [patreon](http://patreon.com/buzuki), then the next day on aff and ao3. If you want to support us, please feel free to do so <3

ps. the reason we say 'we' is that, we are two people, so i hope this doesn't cause any confusions :)

 

* * *

 

 

A round of applause is what she is met with when she gets into her dressing room. Even when exhausted and a little bit dizzy from all the stage lights, she tries to catch her breath as she politely accepts the congratulations from the people around for successfully wrapping up another Asia tour. It is hard being an idol, but is also rewarding in some ways.

She plasters a smile on her face as well, anything to conceal the growing emptiness in her heart. It’s not like she dislikes what she’s doing, she tries to justify her thoughts while she lets her manager Dahyun, grab her hand in order to drag her towards the sofa in the middle of the room. She plomps down tiredly, trusting Dahyun to take care of the rest. She’s just really, absolutely tired. Her eyelids start sleepily dropping.

When Dahyun finishes thanking, basically subtly shooing, everyone, she rushes to Sana’s side.

“Hey, are you okay?” She asks, worriedly frowning at Sana’s lack of energy. “Do you want some chocolate? We have some leftovers.”

Even though the sudden mention of snacks slightly makes her mouth water with hunger, Sana just sighs, mumbling drowsily. “Can’t. Diet, remember?”

“You know, I shouldn’t encourage this as your manager but you’re always on a diet. Give yourself a break.”

Sana slides down until she’s lying in a horizontal position, hugging one of the pillows into her chest like it’s her firstborn. “I have a comeback later this month, CEO doesn’t want my cheeks to get fat.”

Dahyun gently covers her with a blanket that she always keeps near for Sana before answering in a low tone. “That’s not a real thing. You can’t get cheek fat from a packet of chocolate.”

Sana presses her face deeper into the pillow, not minding her makeup since the only people she has to see that night from that moment on are Dahyun and her driver. “It totally is,” She murmurs, “You might not know, since you’re very young…”

“I’m only two years younger.”

“...But once I ate a ramen and my face became so puffy overnight that the makeup unnies were furious with me.”

Dahyun pats her hair sympathetically, shaking her head at the older’s words. “Make-up unnies are always furious with everyone and everything.”

Sana tries hard to keep herself from falling asleep, using all her energy left in a never-ending battle with her eyelids. She manages to chuckle a little at Dahyun’s words at least. “I know, but if I start to slack off, I know I’m never gonna see the end of it. I’ve been living like this for the last 12 years, I think I can manage to keep it up for some more.”

“I hope those 12 years don’t take more from your life. This much strain isn’t good.”

Sana glances up to Dahyun’s pale, tense face. She puts on a fake frown on her face. “You know, this manager-idol relationship would be a lot easier for you if you just didn’t care about me.”

This leaves Dahyun pouting, forcing Sana imagine what it would be like if they met under different conditions, maybe in some university cafeteria somewhere. “I see you as a friend before an idol.” Her manager answers fairly, “And you’ve been telling me how tired you’ve been feeling lately. Is it so bad to be concerned?”

Sana lets out a sigh, hating that she’s making Dahyun have a hard time. “I don’t know, Dahyun, it’s like I don’t even have time to think anymore. I can’t ever hear my own thoughts.”

“Maybe you should take a vacation?” Dahyun suggests innocently, and Sana genuinely appreciates that but all she can do is to avert her gaze. She can hear the gasps coming from the company wallet; What an absurd and preposterous proposition!

“I can’t do that. You know my schedule is packed from November to next August.” Sana remarks, a deep feeling of hopelessness taking over her suddenly, “I just wish I had a little bit more freedom. It’s been 10 years since my debut, and 6 whole years as a soloist. Don’t you think I should have a say in what kind of music I want to make or what kind of shows I want to be on now? Do I really have to continue doing that same 7-year-old catchphrase at every variety show?”

“I know.” Dahyun’s looking over her sadly, “I just can’t do anything about it, it’s the management that gives me orders.”

Her suddenly somber tone makes Sana turn around on the sofa to face her, instinctively waving a hand as if to say no. “It’s not your fault!” Sana exclaims, terrified of hurting her manager’s feelings, she’s always more careful with others, “It’s just, well... how I feel.”

Even though Dahyun doesn’t look more convinced about her wellbeing, she eventually decides to let it go for that night after a few moments of tense silence. Instead she pokes Sana’s side, making the said girl groan before ordering in her managerly tone, “Don’t sleep here, if you do you’ll end up falling into a deeper sleep in the van and you know you can’t be woken up then.”

Sana is dizzy with fatigue at this point, so she kicks the blanket off to let the cold air wash over her and whines when she goes over her schedule again in her head. “I have that radio show tomorrow, right? The one with the overly curious host.” She fakes a cry when Dahyun confirms, “This sucks.”

Her manager smiles slightly and then stands up, signing that it’s time to go with a gesture of her head. Sana gets up grumbling to herself but still wordlessly walks behind Dahyun with obedience, her steps matching the younger’s. Just before they’re out of the door the manager turns to her with a curious expression settled on her face, glancing up at Sana expectantly.

“Don’t take me wrong, I like being your manager.” She starts, grabbing the door handle and twisting it, “But if you’re that exhausted, and well kind of sick of this, why don’t you just quit?”

It feels like a switch has been turned in Sana’s head as she opens her mouth to answer but no sound comes out. She, Asia’s sweetheart, had completely overlooked the fact that she had the option to just walk away from all her titles and be just Sana. The Sana from Osaka she was 12 years ago, before all that training and pushing herself had started. The thought of being away from the only life she’s ever known gives her a shudder, she can’t even fathom what she would be doing. But she loves the fans, loves the thrill of performing and putting a smile to people’s faces. What she can’t stand is, of course, facing how distant she became from her own self, and all the necessary don’t-do’s that her profession brings.

She gulps down whatever response she was going to give before shaking her head in a dismissive manner and following Dahyun through the hallway in a sleepy haze.

 

**

 

Sana takes a handful from the small popcorn bowl as her eyes stay on the screen, not even blinking. This is one of those moments where she can relax in the comfort of her own house in the company of her friends, not worried about how her makeup looks, or if what she said could offend some people. She’s just a simple girl in her 20’s having a movie night with her friends. Her eyes focus on said friends, who are lounging on the couch next to her. She frowns.

“Yah!” She says, throwing a piece of popcorn towards Tzuyu and Chaeyoung. “Put your phones away!”

Chaeyoung sticks her tongue out to her and eats the popcorn which landed on her shirt. “We’ve watched this, like, a thousand times already. I know the lines by now.” She says, over-exaggerating. “I mean, I like The Little Mermaid as much as the next girl but at least let’s something else from Disney.”

Tzuyu nods, agreeing with Chaeyoung, outnumbering Sana. This results in Sana whining and hugging the pillow on her lap. “But, I love this one so much! The music is fantastic, I love the animation and the fact that she goes out of her way, gets out of her comfort zone to do something she really wants? I love that! Name another movie like this and we’ll watch.”

Tzuyu rolls her eyes, “So every Disney movie ever?” She asks, making Chaeyoung laugh. “What she does is not that admirable though.”

Sana gasps, straightening her back, maybe a bit over-the-top but she’s too offended to care. “How dare you!” She asks, her voice hints at anger. “She left everything behind to explore the world! If that isn’t brave, what is?”

“You call it brave, I call it puberty mind. Who willingly signs a contract that will surely end with them being miserable? That’s just stupid!”

Sana gets up from her seat, folding her arms towards her friends. Some sentiment in her intensifying as she feels the need to defend Ariel’s pride. “Maybe, just maybe she had hopes for the future and didn’t think adults would take advantage of her for having dreams. Maybe she just wanted to live like she always wished to!” She argues, half yelling. The Little Mermaid was gone from her mind, instead it was her, a little fish in a world full of hooks and baits.

Chaeyoung looks at her with a  puzzled expression. “Uhm, is this still about Ariel or is there something you wanna share with us?”

Sana plops down again on the couch, groaning at her inner dilemma. “I don’t wanna do this anymore.”

“The movie night or…?” Tzuyu asks, and knowing her, she’s only half-heartedly joking.

“I don’t want to be an idol anymore.”

There is a collective gasp from her friends, Sana wishes she could be as distant to the idea of quitting as them. “Well, I don’t want to stop making music, or seeing my fans. I just… I want to be a singer, not some slave with a contract that is called ‘idol’. I hate hating my job, but they push me to it.” She starts to rant. “‘Don’t gain weight, Sana.’, ‘Watch your words, Sana.’, ‘Don’t try to interfere with the album making process, Sana.’... Am I The Sana or am I just the poster girl for the team that makes it up?”

“Can’t you negotiate with them for more autonomy?” Chaeyoung asks, trying to give the girl some hope. “Like, at least start with including your own songs in the album, not as the title track.”

“I tried that but the CEO always dismissed me without even listening to the first 10 seconds of the hundreds of songs I presented to him. I’m not stupid, I know how to write lyrics, I know how to arrange and compose, but everytime I take it to him, he ignores me. Tells me something about ‘not fitting my image’ or ‘not what the public wants’ or even worse ‘above my skills’. I’m just sick of all this.”

Her friends sit on her each side, hugging her in a warm embrace. “You should have talked about this sooner. Don’t bottle things up… you’ve been feeling like this lately?”

“I’ve been feeling like this for a few years now…” She confesses, not wanting to keep it in her anymore. “I just want to be more than I’m allowed to.”

“How many years do you have left?”

“4 more to go, I don’t know if I can last that long though.”

“Why don’t you just quit?” Chaeyoung suggests, sharing a look with Tzuyu who looks equally concerned about her situation, “If it suffocates you this much maybe it would be better that way.”

“It’s not that easy.” Sana objects, shaking her head, “I still want to make music and interact with my fans. Also, I’m not going to give them a penny of my hard-earned money. They can’t get compensation from me. There has to be another way that I can go free.”

“You can always find a dashing prince to slay the CEO for you to get out of your contract, just like Ariel.” Tzuyu jokes to lighten up the mood a bit, giggles escape their mouths.

Chaeyoung fixes her gaze to the screen for a moment before speaking again. “I think you should contact a lawyer. Remember when I was accused of plagiarizing that one song? I can give you the card of my lawyer, she’s really good. Maybe she’ll be able to find a loophole in your contract.”

“I can’t just go around announcing that I’m planning on leaving. That would be too much of a scandal.”

“You can always mail her and she can’t legally say anything to anyone anyways.”

Sana considers it for a moment and decides that it wouldn’t do any harm to try. Her curiosity piqued, she turns to Chaeyoung with hopeful eyes. “What’s her name?”

“Myoui Mina.”

 

**

 

_to: MyouiMina@myouilaw.com_

_from:_ [ _msthrowaway@yahoo.com_ ](mailto:msthrowaway@yahoo.com)

_subject: About Contract Termination_

_Hello Ms. Myoui,_

_It’s come to my attention that you’re one of the best lawyers to work these kind of cases with. I’ve found you through one of your old clients. However, I cannot disclose my identity because I’m a public figure and it’s gotten to a point that I can’t even trust my own lawyer. I will make the payments, please don’t dismiss this email as spam. I am unfortunately trapped in a contract that I do not wish to continue anymore. I don’t want to pay compensation money to the company to terminate it. What I want from you is to find a loophole in the contract. I have attached it as a PDF file to this email._

_Thank you for your understanding,_

_-S._

 

 _to:_ [ _msthrowaway@yahoo.com_ ](mailto:msthrowaway@yahoo.com)

_from: MyouiMina@myouilaw.com_

_subject: re:About Contract Termination_

_Hello Ms. S.,_

_I have looked into your contract and considered your offer. I’m glad to say that I have found some substantial contradictions in your contract. I would like to help you and I understand your concerns about privacy. But I also have my own concerns._

_I don’t mean to offend you but I  have to make sure that the hours of work I put into are worth it. That is why I ask you for the payment in advance. I was initially going to give you my IBAN number but I’m guessing you are not going to pay with your own account and therefore, I wanted to save you the trouble and suggest Paypal. You can send the fee anonymously from there. I have attached a receipt at the end of this email and I am ready to give you legal counseling in the future._

_Kind regards,_

_-Myoui Mina, lawyer_

 

_to: MyouiMina@myouilaw.com_

_from:_ [ _msthrowaway@yahoo.com_ ](mailto:msthrowaway@yahoo.com)

_subject: re:About Contract Termination_

_Hi,_

_I have sent you the exact amount of money via PayPal. Although I am in a rushw hile typing this emil, I am waiting forj youe legal counsling. Thnk you already!_

_-S._

_sent from my iPhone_

 

 _to:_ [ _msthrowaway@yahoo.com_ ](mailto:msthrowaway@yahoo.com)

_from: MyouiMina@myouilaw.com_

_subject: re:About Contract Termination_

_Hello again Ms. S.,_

_Assuming that you work for the entertainment industry, as you have already mentioned being a public figure, it seems that to terminate your contract without any problems or having to pay compensation, you have to subtly break one of the rules that’s not specified enough in the contract. For example, article 72 states that during an overseas concert you have to spend your night at your own hotel room, alone. However the said article does not indicate that you can’t consume alcohol. Or, as the article 34 states, the moment you have a scandalous relationship with a “man” your contract is to be terminated immediately. As this article doesn’t concern you having a relationship with a woman, therefore you can’t be held accountable if your company decides to terminate your contract. I have attached a list of such articles that I found to this email. What I advise you to do is to not break the exact statements from the articles but bend them a little and hope to get fired._

_I wish you the best,_

_-Myoui Mina, lawyer._

 

Sana makes a face as she reads the email over and over again to see if she had missed anything during a ten minute break of the dance practice for her latest comeback. She hits download on the list that Miss Myoui had mentioned and groans when she sees that it’s 12 pages long. Apparently, her lawyer is someone who does her job very thoroughly, as expected. What she understands from this is, she has to do something, something that would certainly get her fired, but it shouldn’t be clearly against the rules. Like having a dating scandal with a woman, she amuses herself with the idea mischievously, or getting drunk a day before an overseas concert. Although she assumes that for her, most of these reasons to get fired could be overlooked so it should be something impactful, something that the company wouldn’t want to be associated with.

She looks around the practice room, taking the sight of the pack of dancers drinking water or chatting among themselves.

Who would she even find to get into a scandal with?


	2. Liberation

 

As it turns out, Sana realizes after a few weeks of never-ending looking around, finding a girlfriend, albeit a fake one, is so much harder than she originally thought. 

The problem still lies in her fame status, she tries to reason desperately, she’s not someone who’s able to simply ask someone to be her fake date in the sole order to piss off her company. Word travels fast in the industry, after all. Her grand stunt would be exposed even before she gets the girl’s phone number. Then she would just be the girl who’s lying to get some more attention. 

An attention-seeking bitch, as some netizens who can’t seem to ever shut up would say. Sana has trained herself to pay no mind to them after years of cruelty in the industry, but she’s not sure if she would be able to take it if it intensifies again, just like those days when she was just a rookie trying to make it into the big league.

There was this incident once, when she was only 17 and possessed an excitement that would accompany her to wherever she goes. Back then, during some music show, a senior singer who was almost twenty two at the time had approached her in the backstage, this Sana welcomed with gratitude since she was delighted to be recognized by such a talented sunbae. But it all went downhill when he threw a charming smile and asked for her number in an almost overbearing demeanor as if he was giving Sana a great gift by asking for her digits. Sana was baffled, shocked to see the real intention behind the young man’s actions. Trying to control her facial expressions, she had apologized, saying that she wasn’t allowed to have a phone, when in reality she was simultaneously praying that the iPhone in her purse wouldn’t start ringing at that exact moment. After a few awkward moments he had seemed to have bought her white lie and then got mad and left, this whole thing leading to a very uncomfortable broadcast. 

Even though Sana didn’t think much of it at first, apparently fans have realized something was very wrong, numerous false speculations (1. Oppa offered her help with her stiff broadcast face, she got mad and left 2. Sana addressed to him in informal language, he was shocked yet still tried to be polite 3. Sana was his fan ever since her middle school days which made her attempt to sneak inside his dressing room and demand for an autograph during his resting time) resulting with a huge attitude controversy on Sana’s part. For days, she was forced to read comments about how she’s talentless with no manners, her group members were carrying her on their back and was only slightly famous for her good looks. She doesn’t want this to reoccur, refuses to feel like this once again for no valid reason. 

She ought to be more careful than a lioness on hunt.

“Sana?” The voice of her make-up artist pulls her out of the trance she’s in, she breaks the haze with a blink in confusion. “I thought you fell asleep.”

Sana gives a sheepish smile. “Sorry, I was just zoning out.”

The woman simply hums in return and goes back to gossiping with one of her coworkers about the scandalous secret affair of a guy from some rap duo and a popular main dancer of a rising girl group. Without further interference Sana promptly falls back into the abysmal pool of her thoughts. 

Dahyun finds her in a rush just before going on the stage, her pale face visibly worried. She glances over to the stage directors cautiously before speaking in a low, well-calculated tone as if she’s afraid that she could startle Sana.

“Hey, you seem distracted.” 

Sana sighs before anything, carefully trying to get out of any camera’s angle. “I am.” She admits, then crosses her arms, frowning upon the meaning behind her manager’s words, “But you know I’d never let it affect my performance, right?”

“I am aware.” Dahyun shakes her head, frustrated that she couldn’t quite transmit what she wants to say into her words, “Just… don’t beat yourself up for anything. Okay?”

 

** 

 

Sana would really like to have a talk with whoever it is that scheduled a concert right after the promotions for her comeback ends. Of course her comeback was a success as expected, but that doesn’t mean that it makes Sana feel less exhausted than she is in reality. What definitely doesn’t help is the fact that she still doesn’t have all the dance moves down for a fan-favorite b-side track and the concert is in two days. The whole dance crew is there with her in a stuffy studio, and she can’t help but feel bad that she’s making everyone wait for her.

“Let’s take five everybody.” Their instructor suggests, eyes looking tired and unfocused like everyone. 

Each person falls on different parts of the ground, groaning and glaring at Sana unintentionally. She feels her face redden when she makes her way to the hall to get some air that’s not filled with sweat and frustration, away from the irritated, judging stares. She crouches down next to the water dispenser in the corridor, in a vain attempt of providing a little privacy. Trying to soothe her disappointment in herself away, she leans her head against the cold wall. She wishes she could just disappear so that no one would have any expectations of her. 

If only there was a way to stop time and just breathe.

She’s playing a game on her phone when she hears sounds from the other side, in front of the dance studio she had came out of in the first place. 

“I don’t understand how she just can’t get it.” A feminine voice whines in her native Japanese, making Sana surprised with the sudden usage of her mother tongue, “Step, slide, step, step. What’s so hard to understand? I just want to go home.”

Sana’s mouth forms a circle when she recognizes that the topic of the discussion is none other than herself. Her heart clenches slightly with the knowledge that she’s giving the dance team a harder time than she ever wanted. Yet she keeps quiet like she wants to wreck her heart further by harsh criticism and only stirs a little at where she’s hidden as the woman continues.

“This is the worst day ever and there’s nothing I need less than overtime work.” The voice rambles on feverishly, whoever this woman is, she sounds certainly irked, “And it’s like she’s not even trying! She needs to pull herself together, really. I’m not someone to judge people but it’s so obvious that her head’s elsewhere. To top it all, she has no sense of direction or any songs with a nice beat to dance to whatsoever.”

That’s it, Sana decides and gets up suddenly, making the group of girls gasp with her unexpected appearance. The one who looks the most horrified is a girl around her age with ebony black hair and bangs, Momo as she remembers since she is one of the main dancers. A complete look of panic settles on the woman’s face as she looks up immediately with guilt-ridden eyes, her well-built body noticeably tenses with fear in a few short seconds where Sana makes her way toward the group.  

“Excuse me.” Sana scowls harshly in Japanese as she passes by them, trying to emphasize the venom in her voice, “I need you to move back since I can bump into you as I try to go inside, I have no sense of direction after all.”

She watches as the girl’s eyes widen even more with an agonizingly shocked expression, that is what she gets for trash talking her boss in  _ her  _ own language. 

“I am so--”

The idol slides inside from the open studio door without waiting for an explanation. Sana suddenly finds herself pumped up as she stretches in front of the mirror. No sense of direction? Sana scoffs, what does a mere backup dancer know anyway? The girl, Momo, is only good for… Sana tries to think something bad about the girl in question but she can’t seem to remember a negative thing about her, well, except the fact that she is, as it seems, extremely rude. She closes her eyes in order to find some peace until she feels a hand gently poke her back as she is bending over, in the middle of stretching her muscles. She glances over on the mirror and sees that it’s Momo, who looks like she just saw a ghost and is scared shitless. It’s reasonable since the girl is probably faced with the fear of losing her job, and most of her dignity among her dance crew. Sana thinks it’s funny how tables turn. She ignores the girl to make her more on the edge. Of course, she isn’t thinking of getting her sacked but she still could use a lesson. She notices Momo wincing at the sudden gesture as Sana claps her hands, enthusiastic to get on with the practice again.

“Everyone! Let’s get with it and go home as early as possible.” She says with a gentle manner that is ingrained into her mind since her debut as a 15 year old. 

The practice goes on for another hour, Sana is learning as fast as she can, refusing to tolerate any mistake like she had been doing earlier. She feels her muscles burn as she childishly glances at Momo while she finishing a perfect set, as if to say suck it.  

The instructor, who is pleased with the sudden change of energy in Sana finally ends the session, telling everyone to go home and rest as they have rehearsal tomorrow in the stadium, which makes Sana feel like skipping as if she’s some elementary school kid with too much homework due to the  very next day, but of course knows she can’t. Even if she wants to quit the company, she is not about to disrespect the efforts of hundreds of employees. She’s better than that. 

She thanks everyone and promises to be just as energetic the following days, pleased when she finds smiles on all of the drained faces. She’s happy for a second even when she knows that she will fall asleep on her way back home as soon as she settles in her van. 

With some alarmed part of her unconscious she recognizes that she might miss this. 

Yet another voice in her head she chose to listen warns her. 

Days are long but her sleeping falls short. 

 

**

 

“HALF AN HOUR LEFT, EVERYONE MAKE SURE YOU ARE IN FULL COSTUME!” 

Sana sits on her make-up chair as she tries to relax, what she’s planning to do is hard, insane even. But she feels like this is the only way she can be free of the hand that is choking the life out of her. 

She gets up after ten minutes, her makeup done to perfection. She thanks the make-up staff with utmost genuineness, which makes their eyebrows shoot up and eyeing Sana with a growing suspicion. Perhaps they are questioning why she’s acting like this is her goodbye stage. And maybe it really is, Sana thinks to herself with hardly-buried bitterness, maybe from now on only Soundcloud will release my music. 

She sighs, shaking her head, and she sets to find the band that will play for her as a part of her masterplan.  

When she finally stumbles upon them in a corner, they are tuning their instruments while chatting among themselves before the big show. She smiles at the guitarist, Jae, as she approaches, hoping she won’t be too much of a distraction. 

“Hey, how are you guys?” She asks, interrupting them with growing anxiousness, but she pushes herself to go on, swallowing down the distasteful sentiment. “Are you nervous?” 

They seem taken aback at first, which Sana finds odd, given that she does try to be friendly with every member of the staff. Maybe they weren’t expecting her to ask them anything directly. It’s the bassist -Young K, as he wants to be referred on stage- who greets her back with a smile and an assurance that they will do their best during the concert. Sana thanks them before revealing the real reason for her unpredictable visit.

“Uh, I was just wondering if you have an acoustic guitar that I can borrow for a last minute surprise song...” Her voice wavers a little at the end of her sentence, sounding unsure. She waits hesitantly as the guys glance at each other briefly in half worry and half alarm. 

“Well, we have a spare one in case of an emergency,” Jae points to the side with his head where a pile of instruments are carefully placed, “But I have to ask, what is it that didn’t make it to the setlist?”

When his words are followed by eager nods and curious gazes from the rest of the band, Sana knows that she can’t get out of this without an at least half decent explanation. 

“I… I am going to do something stupid but brave at the same time.” Sana averts her gaze when she feels the suffocating eyes on her, looking for a deeper meaning into her not-so-helpful attempt of making thing clear. “I mean it changes according to the point of view. What I am going to do is really reckless but I have been thinking about it for a while now. And also I hope to-”

“Uh-kay!” Jae cuts her off before she blabbers even more, she’s immediately thankful for that, “I can bring it to you after the last scheduled song, deal?”

Sana exhales in relief and thanks him once more. 

She really is going to do this. 

 

As it gets announced that they only have about fifteen minutes left, she figures that she needs to go to her position. She takes her steps with confidence even though her insides are tingling with nervousness, if this is the last time she’s going onto a stage like this, she’s gonna make sure everyone will remember it with admiration. 

 

Sana is about to step onto the platform that is going to elevate her up to the stage, she feels someone coming up behind her. She’s just about to turn on heels when a hand tugs her away and she’s pulled into a deserted hallway before she can even make any protesting sound. In half a second that she fails to see the face of the person, her mind immediately thinks she’s being kidnapped by a crazy fan. Just a moment ago she was prepared for her crazy grand stunt and now she’s just going to be straight up murdered even before she can find time to live a little. 

Panic settles inside her and shows itself to the outer world in a sudden yelp. She’s just about let out a louder scream when the person takes a step closer and the kidnapper’s face is finally devoid of the shadows that’s been hiding her figure. She makes out the person’s identity. 

Momo the Trash Talker. 

Her mouth parts with the shock from earlier and the sudden fury that fills her. “What the heck?” She blurts out before she can help herself, “Why would you do that, Momo?”

She pauses when she spots the apologetic expression that’s painted over the dancer’s face. She glances at her remorsefully like a scolded child and mumbles, “I thought you wouldn’t listen to me otherwise.” 

Sana feels like being petty again but she decides against it. She’s not going to leave a bad impression today. Instead gives up on the act and she gestures the girl to talk in an a little exasperated motion. 

“Okay, look I’m sorry I said those things about you.” Momo starts in Japanese much to Sana’s surprise. She’s so used to speaking Korean with everyone that it feels oddly comforting to hear the words uttered in her native language. It takes a while for her to realize that Momo is continuing her monologue shaped offer of peace even though her blanched face is currently caught up tensely in a frown, “I just had a really bad day and all those hours of practice didn’t agree with me. Can you maybe… uhm, forget it happened?” 

Sana looks over at the dancer’s fearful expression and sighs. “I’m not going to forget it.” She simply tells Momo, and halts before continuing to make Momo sweat a little bit. “But also I’m not going to snitch on you. Your job is safe, don’t worry.” 

Momo’s face lights up instantly upon hearing this but Sana speaks again before she gets a chance to thank her, “I don’t think talking bad about me will get you in trouble from this day onward but still, I won’t get you fired.” 

Completely ignoring the grim implication of the idol’s words, Momo shrieks with overjoy and suddenly jumps to Sana’s neck, surprising the solo artist with a tight hug.

Every conversation with this girl is a rollercoaster.

Sana vaguely hears some other staff members chatting and giggling among themselves with a camera sound in the background as she takes a whiff of the dancer girl’s shampoo. Coconut with a hint of peach. 

She laughs gently despite herself and lets the girl have her hug, this isn’t going to hurt her image anyways, not when she is about to chop her career down with an axe. 

Momo lets go of her after a few seconds, her cheeks reddened with embarrassment. “Thank you, Sana-san. I might not like your music but I can’t argue with your success. I wish you more of it. You are both talented and kind.” 

“FIVE MINUTES EVERYONE! WHERE IS SANA?” 

Sana finds herself softening in an instant upon the dancer’s words, cursing her inability to stay resentful towards pretty girls who smell nice. “You were right in a way.” She confesses thoughtfully, she’s not sure why she’s sharing this detail with the woman in front of her, “I was distracted but I won’t be anymore. Thank you.”

She waves goodbye to Momo who’s left confused, getting into her position. Gripping her mic tightly and forgetting everything else, she sets her foot onto the platform.

She is going to make most of this stage. 

She is going to go down in a blaze of glory. 

 

** 

 

_ “You can’t be serious.” Says Chaeyoung, as she stuffs popcorn into her mouth. “That is… insane.”  _

_ “Well, I wanted to get out of the company anyways and this way, I can hit two birds with one stone. I can finally come out of the closet and the company.” She explains as her closest friends share a look of worry.  _

_ “Aren’t you afraid of the backlash? The media will rip you to pieces. I can’t even think of the netizens.” Tzuyu says shuddering. Indeed, it is a frightening image but Sana is more determined than ever despite her uneasiness.  _

_ “I can deal with it. The most that can happen is, I lose all my fans and move back to Japan. Or maybe I can travel the world in peace now! See, this doesn’t sound that bad.” Sana tries to stay positive, even though her logic is screaming at her to give up. She will not.  _

_ “I… I still think this is the least efficient way of doing this but… if you’re serious about it, I’m with you. I swear I will still produce songs for you after you get kicked out of the company.” Chaeyoung says with a half smile, trying to comfort her better by putting a hand on her shoulder and patting the spot. “It would be awesome.” _

_ “You mean after ‘we come to a mutual decision to part ways.’” Sana corrects in an attempt of making them laugh, “Hey, did you wash your hands after all that popcorn?” _

_ She feels better.  _

_ She can do this.  _

 

**

 

“Sannies! Thank you so much for coming here today to support me even after a long comeback period. Thank you all so much for the best years of my life. Thank you for making my dreams come true when I thought I would have to go back to Japan when I inevitably failed.” Sana says into her microphone, her tears threatening to escape as her throat knots. She gulps in order to keep them away. “Thank you for making all this possible. The name ‘Sana’ is empty without every single one of you behind it. I love you all so so much!” 

A deafening choir of ‘aww’s and ‘don’t cry’s mix with the cheers and the whole stadium starts chanting her name to show support and love.

Sana just looks at them for a moment, rethinking her choice. Would they hate her for who she is? Would they boo her off-stage? She sniffles and stands straight. 

Even if she loses, she will be truthful. 

She will stand tall. 

She brings the mic to her lips again and starts, “This is why I want to share myself with you fully, I want to say something I haven’t been able to tell you for years. I am brave enough now and I hope you can find it in your heart to continue supporting me.” She discloses simultaneously as she catches Jae’s confused eyes, signaling him to bring her the acoustic guitar. She has to stifle the urge to giggle when she sees people behind the stage panic with her actions. This wasn’t on the program at all. She briefly spots the director gesturing her to stop, everyone else looking at her as if she had just grown a second head. “This goes out to all of you.” 

Her tears starts falling as she sings one of her own love ballads that she wrote a while back but haven’t got the chance to release since it was ‘not Sana enough’, her hands shaking as she plays it herself. No backtrack, no fancy lights, no backup dancers. Just her and her voice. Just like in the beginning, when she would sing her heart out on her balcony back home, neighbors yelling at her to shut up. This time there wasn’t anyone talking over her, the stadium is as silent as possible. She speaks once again just as she finishes the song, before anyone has a chance stir up a round of applause, her words urgent and heavy with exhaustion. 

“As this song marks the end of the concert, I would like to say that I am attracted to girls and girls only. Meaning that I am a lesbian. I hope you guys can accept me and forgive me for declaring it so abruptly. Goodnight and thank you once again.” 

Sana hears gasps and screams as she hurries off the stage and to the exit. 

 

She just wants to run away. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> boom, lesbian power move 
> 
> we didn't want to keep these parts of the story too long and bore you but hopefully longer chapters will come soon :> feedback is appreciated uwu
> 
> also, come chat with us about this story pls here [on twitter](https://twitter.com/buzukiff) or [on curiouscat](https://curiouscat.me/buzukiff)


	3. Causation

 

A ray of sunshine falling on her face is to blame for waking Momo up, groaning because she hadn’t bothered with closing the curtains the night before and therefore she didn’t get enough sleep. She feels like she had been dreaming a moment ago but she doesn’t remember any of it, only the grogginess of her slumber still evident in the slowness of her mind. Her phone on the nightstand is vibrating non-stop, which isn’t an event that occurs so frequently that it stirs Momo wide awake all of a sudden. She hastily grabs the device to see if there’s something urgent, only to be shocked by the amount of notifications that her lockscreen demonstrates. Was there something wrong,  Momo wonders in sheer panic. 

 

_ 17 missed calls from Minari (^ヮ^✿) _

_ 12 missed calls from Mom _

_ 9 missed calls from Hana ✿ _

_ You have 918 unread messages _

_ You have 1283 e-mails _

 

All this makes Momo suddenly yelp and jump off her bed, meeting the ground by accident in the end.

“Ow.” She groans as she searches for her phone that flew during her fall, confused by all of this process. She finally spots the device under her bed, reaching to grab it. She finally unlocks it and presses the latest message she received with the hopes of getting some kind of an explanation. 

Only to be confused even more.

“What the fuck?” She gapes as she presses the link one of her coworkers sent, “What the actual FUCK?”

The website loads at last, only to display a picture of her and the soloist Sana, the same Sana that had the guts to come out last night, the same Sana who she was so sure that would get her fired, hugging the night before.

STAR-CROSSED LOVERS OF THE IDOL INDUSTRY?, the headline reads. Momo can’t make a proper reaction, only stares at the rest of the news article.

_ JYP Entertainment's successful soloist Sana (22), declared her sexuality after singing a beautiful ballad last night at her first concert in three months, resulting in a huge controversy. From what we’ve gathered from multiple sources is that the soloist had been planning this for a long time, since the beginning of the year because she had finally got herself a girlfriend. The mystery girl in the photo below is Hirai Momo, one of Sana’s backup dancers since her third full album as a soloist, in 2015. Our sources had stated that the two had been seeing each other for quite sometime and Momo had been mad at Sana lately for not making their relationship public. It seems that they even had a disagreement a few days ago during their practice for Sana’s upcoming concert. They seem to be made up before the concerts, Hirai Momo giving Sana courage as the most important declaration of her life is nearing. We have no further information to report. Now we are waiting for JYP Entertainment’s official statement. _

Momo rubs her eyes once again, trying to wake herself up. When was the dream going to end? She is starting to feel panic rise within her. She waits for a couple of minutes but nothing happens, the article staying in place as if to laugh at her. It’s only then Momo registers reality, that all of this is happening. Trying so hard not to scream, she carefully doesn’t open any messages from a  close relative or a friend, and goes for the dance crew’s group chat instead.

**You:**

does anybody here have sana the soloist’s number?

**hyukwon**

why r u askin us lol

isnt she your gf??

**You:**

she is not……………

**yuna**

damn you have a situation going on

**eunji**

here!not that you need it  ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

 

**Contact shared:** **Minatozaki Sana**

 

Momo groans as she presses the call button immediately, cursing her luck and everything else. It rings eight times and goes straight into voicemail. 

“Hello, this is Sana! It seems you can’t reach me now, please try again later. Good luck!”

Stupid Sana and her stupid overly cheerful voice in the morning. Shit.

Her fingers move on the screen furiously to type a message and send it before she can stop herself, taken over by pure anger.

_ This is Momo. Call me back asap. I advise you to do something about this dating rumor soon. _

Her message stays with one check mark, mocking her until she tears her eyes away from her phone screen. She has no clue what to do now. She can’t go outside because she assumes that there would be reporters waiting to bombard her with questions. Well, the news are not entirely wrong, she also likes girls but the fact that people claimed they had been dating for a while now is absurd. She didn’t even have her number, for goodness sake. 

Not that Momo doesn’t find Sana attractive. It’s just that her heart has always been full, full of one sided love. 

She sighs as her fingers dance on her phone screen, her thumb hovering above a contact: 

**Minari (^ヮ^✿)**

 

Her best friend had been trying to get in contact with her for several hours now, apparently. Her messages were simple yet worried. She wanted make sure Momo was okay. She did ask if the rumors were true, which gives Momo a pitiful hope that maybe things are not one sided after all. But she knows, she knows deep inside that Mina does not see more in her than the girl she met all those years ago in their local ballet class. 

She is just her best friend. Nothing more. 

Momo suddenly feels like not calling her. 

Would things be different if she acted brave and just confessed? 

Momo shakes her head as if to let go of the thoughts that are surrounding her. She needs to think about her present problem, not the what-ifs. 

She sets her phone down and just tries to relax. She has to be at the top of her game to handle the impending storm roaring its way towards her. 

A whole hour passes before she even allows herself to even think about the situation. She had done all she can do to ignore it. She put her phone on airplane mode, did her morning routine longer than she ever did before, stretched fully to avoid brain activity but she knows she can’t just not think forever. 

With a whiny, loud groan, she picks up her phone again and clicks the airplane icon. Her phone starts to buzz like crazy once again. She just marks them all read and ignores them. She needs to know if Sana saw her message. 

Just as she’s about to open the chat, Mina’s caller ID pops up on the screen, making Momo jump. She has no other choice than answering when it starts to ring for the fourth time. 

“Hey.” Momo says before she gets cut off by a worried Mina who’s speaking with the speed of light. Momo zones out for a second, just listening to her voice, not so much what she’s saying. How is she going to handle this situation, really? She’s now out to the whole country and with none other than Sana the soloist. How did this happen? Why did she even hug that woman yesterday? Her head feels like exploding.

“Well, aren’t you going to say anything Momo?” she hears finally, apparently Mina stopped speaking. 

“Ah, well, yes, I will.” She says getting herself together. “The truth is that…” 

Her phone call gets put on hold for a second, Momo is about to hang up the other caller in annoyance but her breath hitches when she sees the caller ID. Forgetting Mina momentarily, she hastily answers the call.

“Hello?”

“Hi, I’m speaking with Hirai Momo, the dancer, right?” The voice speaking from the other end sounds extremely tired, yet she is still somehow gentle with her words. 

“Yes, you are Sana-san, I assume.” Momo says to reassure. There are million thoughts running around in her brain, she just wants this issue to be solved quickly. 

“Yes, and firstly I want to say that I’m terribly sorry to drag you into this mess. You probably don’t even like girls and I just dropped this whole thing on you.” Sana says, she really knows how to sound genuine. Momo can feel the girl’s apologetic gaze through the phone. 

“No, it’s not your fault. You couldn’t possibly have guessed this outcome. I’m sorry if my text sounded too harsh, I was just panicking.” Momo says, and then she adds, trying to ease the singer’s mind. “And I do… like girls, I mean.”

There’s a beat of silence that follows which Sana gracefully saves with her next words. 

“Still, I am sorry. I called to ask what do you want to do with this situation?” 

Momo arches her eyebrows in confusion. “What do you mean? Aren’t you going to just say that the dating rumor is false and we only spoke like 2.5 times counting now? What is there to think about?”

Momo waits for the soloist to talk again, but she seems like she’s inside her own head. Momo blinks furiously once again, hoping all this is some kind of twisted nightmare where her subconscious fantasies came to life so she can wake up and continue her normal life again after she solves this issue with Sana in bed. 

Finally, Sana decides to speak after a few seconds that seemed like hours. 

“It’s just that… I mean…. Don’t get me wrong! I just figured… We can kind of maybe notdenythisandpretendtodateforawhile?” Sana says with the smallest voice possible but Momo manages to understand. What she can’t comprehend is the reason. 

“What do you mean?” She asks, her voice pitching higher by the second. She manages to gulp in panic, essaying to make a meaning out of the other woman’s words. “Why would we do that?”

“I’ve been trying to find someone to pretend to date with for a while now so that the public would really believe me coming out and I don’t know… when an opportunity like this presents itself, I kind of didn’t want to pass on it.” Sana explains. Her voice is slightly shaky and Momo can picture her blushing for some reason. “I’m not forcing you of course! I just wanted to let you know that this also is an option that you can choose.” 

Momo stays silent for a second, surprising even herself with considering the opportunity for a moment. “What would I ever gain from this?”

“I mean, have you ever heard a back-up dancer being a front page news before?” 

Momo doesn’t have an answer to give. 

“Exactly. I’m just saying that this is a chance for you to make yourself a name, to advance your career even beyond Korea.”

This time, Momo’s silence is all the answer Sana needs.

“All I’m saying, Hirai-san, just think about it. I will have a press meeting at the company at five, so you have some time before you have to decide. Again, I’m not forcing you to do anything, you can say the word and we will never be seen together ever again. But consider and let me know.” Sana says and adds last minute. “Oh, and I suggest you don’t say anything to anyone to avoid conflict in the future until you make your decision. Take care, Hirai-san.” 

Momo hears the hang-up sound and just wants to run away from all this. 

How could she make a decision like that? This was supposed to resolve itself but she can’t stop herself from thinking the benefits of saying yes. If she played her cards right, she could do a lot for the LGBT community and make a name for herself permanently. 

She’s about to slam her head to her wall when she realizes that she left Mina on hold. She clicks the home button, only to see that her friend still hasn’t hung up on her. 

She’s about to hit the resume call button when Sana’s voice reminds her to be quiet until she makes a decision. 

She ends the call instead. 

 

**

 

“HIRAI MOMO, I WILL KILL YOU IF YOU DON’T OPEN THIS DOOR RIGHT NOW!!” 

Momo jumps in her chair, her phone dropping onto the ground with a soft thud. Thank goodness for carpets. She hurries to her feet and gets her phone before even attempting to answer the impatient knocking. She hits send to the text she wrote, finalizing her decision and walks to open the door. 

Mina looks so pissed. No, seriously, Momo can’t recall a single time she saw Mina this annoyed. She is in her office clothes, her briefcase is in her hand, the handle is being clutched with anger. 

“Care to tell why you left me hanging for 4 hours?” Mina asks, her voice is calm but Momo feels the rage. “You hang up on me mid-sentence!” 

“I know, I’m sorry.” Momo says, gesturing her to step inside, feeling a little guilty for keeping her best friend in the dark for so long. 

Mina kicks of her heels at the entrance, and stomps towards the couch. “Explain yourself.” She deadpans.

“Sana called and I had to answer. I’m sorry, I should have called you back but she said don’t say a word to anyone for a while. I panicked, okay?” 

Mina rolls her eyes as she keeps her poker face on. “Now she orders you around? Hah, I never thought I would see you this whipped.” 

I am whipped already but you are too blind to see it, Momo thinks to herself bitterly. “I’m not whipped. She knows how to handle a scandal, I trust that.” 

Mina raises her eyes to question but doesn’t say anything. “I mean, I just expected better of you, you know. Not sharing something this big with your best friend…” 

Momo suddenly feels her blood boil, she can’t even think about correcting Mina at that moment. All of the times she catched Mina looking at her phone discreetly and smiling, giggling with the most adorable blush on her cheek, thinking that Momo didn’t notice comes rushing back to her.

“Oh really? I thought we were just not telling each other about our date lives, y’know? With you lying to me for months about not dating anyone while you clearly are, and all. I thought that was your decision but apparently I’m supposed to be the only honest part of our friendship while you get to keep secrets about your ‘Chae’ or whatever she’s called.” Momo explodes. Her voice is climbing higher as she speaks, her filters slowly abandoning her. 

“How… When… Did you go through my phone?” Mina asks, getting up and facing Momo. Her brows are knitted with suspicion and anger. 

“No, she called when you were in the bathroom and I saw it accidently. I’m not that dumb, I can put two and two together.” Momo answers, folding her arms with the attitude she normally never gives to Mina. “‘ _ Oh, I can’t make it today, Momoring. I have this big case to work on’’ _ , ‘ _ I’m sorry but I made plans with some coworkers’ _ and ‘ _ Believe me, I want to hang out but this client is really important. Sorry. _ ’... They are all bullshit excuses you gave me over the months, Mina. You think I’m too dense to notice these? Get real, will you?” 

Mina opens and closes her mouth a few times in frustration, she can’t seem to find an answer. “FINE. I did keep her a secret from you, only because you are hard to please, picky and judgy towards anyone I go out with. I really like her and I don’t need your negativity about her.” Mina says harshly. “I’ve been trying to set you up with someone for ages, only wanting the best for you and you don’t even tell me that you are dating a celebrity. At least I have an excuse, what about you?” 

Momo purses her lips with rage, her mind stuck. Does Mina really not see what is right in front of her face? That the reason she hates every single one of those people is that she loves Mina with every inch of her being? 

Fine, she thinks, then you’ll see me after you’ve lost me. 

“The reason I didn’t tell you about Sana was that I thought you would get jealous. She’s not exactly your ordinary girl, y’know? I needed to keep it a secret and I did.” Momo says, getting pettier by the second. “And you know what, I’m glad I did because seeing your attitude now makes me realize that I did the right thing. An amazing person like Sana doesn’t deserve this.” 

Mina gasps at her words, storming her way to the door. She is murmuring things under her breath which Momo guesses are not friendly. She wears her heels in a hurry and turns to her for the last time. “You know where to find me when you gather some sense.” 

Momo screams in frustration when the door slams after Mina. 

She’ll see. 

Mina will see what she ignored for years and missed. 

Picking up her phone again, she decides to delete the text she sent to Sana earlier. But the application tells her that not only she already read it but she also answered with understanding and wished her the best in life. 

“Nononononono…” Murmurs Momo, she can’t backtrack after her stunt with Mina. 

**You:**

Heyy, I’m sorry to be like this but I changed my mind. 

I want to go with your plan. 

She waits for the girl to read the message for ten minutes but it doesn’t even deliver. She checks the time: 16.25. Shit.

She tries calling as a last resort but the automatic response lady lets her know that she has the worst luck in life. 

There is only one thing she can do now. 

She has to go to the press meeting herself. 

Once she makes her decision, she immediately gets up and searches through her wardrobe,  putting on her most professional, and only, suit. When she rushes out the door in her black sneakers, there is only 15 minutes left to the meeting. Momo feels her heartbeat get faster. 

She hops on her blue scooter and hits the road. 

If she’s lucky, she will be there on time but when she glances at the traffic ahead she knows she isn’t even close to being lucky. She uses every shortcut she knows to finally reach the company building. She dives between all the people waiting outside and gets to the conference room in a heartbeat.

She spots Sana in front of the group of journalists, in a suit similar to her own like she’s ready to make a presentation before her boss. 

“Hello everyone, thank you all for coming. Today I’m here to address the rumors that had been going around about me and Hirai Momo-sshi. While it is true that I came out yesterday during my concert…” 

Momo takes a deep breath, gathers her confidence and then proceeds to cut Sana off by yelling at the top of her lung to make herself heard. “Stop!” Everybody seems to be frozen in their place with shock, the sudden silence in the room would be hilarious if Momo didn’t have a little bit of a situation. Even she doesn’t know what she’s doing. 

“You don’t have to hide it anymore, dear. I changed my mind, I don’t want to keep us a secret. Let everyone know that I’m the luckiest girl alive to have such an amazing girlfriend.” Momo says audibly, watching the controlled yet shocked expression on Sana’s face as she walks up to the platform. She walks to Sana’s side with confidence, shutter sounds accompanying her every step. 

“I love you, Minatozaki Sana.” She says dramatically and leans forward to kiss the girl. However Sana foresees her move and slides slightly to hug her instead. 

“I don’t think Korea is ready for a lesbian kiss yet.” Her supposed girlfriend whispers against Momo’s ear with a chuckle, making her entire body shudder. “Are you always this… climactic?”

The press members roar as the duo leaves the stage hand in hand, not answering any further questions. 

 

Maybe they don’t have the answers themselves either. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello! i hope you liked this chapter ^^ feedback is always appreciated! 


	4. Intersection

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Sana makes yet another lesbian power move and then also finally meets Mina in person.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ok, tbh i have no idea if this is legally correct so... please just go with it. enjoy!

She had never seen Park Jinyoung that perplexed. The friendly smile he normally greets Sana with is nowhere to be seen, a grimly hopeless expression settled on his face. He and his company lawyers are sitting across Sana, arguing among each other, with faces in different stages of discomfort and bodies positioned in a way that absurdly resembles Da Vinci’s The Last Supper. 

“Minatozaki-sshi,” One of the lawyers address her in a stern tone. She can sense that he’s trying to intimidate her. “I’m afraid that I have to inform you about a serious breach of your contract.” 

Sana keeps her composure and resumes to listen what the man has to say, occasionally glancing at the CEO who had known her right from the start all those years ago. “Which gives us no option other than terminate it and file a lawsuit.”

Another man in a black suit picks up the word, Sana vaguely wonders how much his jacket had cost. “We will sue you for damaging the company’s reputation and breach of contract.” He pauses to lower his voice, as if he’s going to say something that shouldn’t be heard, “However, we can handle this without going to the court. We hope to agree on a reasonable settlement of about one billion won. You will see that if we take this to the court the price will go up significantly.”

Sana had been expecting this. She folds her arms in front of her and gives them the biggest grin she has to offer. “You know what I’m grateful for? The fact that this country is so homophobic that you put incredibly delicious loopholes in your contracts for me to use. My contract specifies nothing about revealing my sexuality because it didn’t even occur to you that I might not be into testosterone, and it doesn’t have a dating ban after three years into the contract, which was 2 years ago. And finally, if you check the dating scandal article, gentlemen, I assure you that it specifically mentions a relationship with a man.” Sana says smugly, leaning slightly forward to look at the lawyer right in front of her right in the eyes. “So, I believe I owe you nothing at all and you have absolutely no reason to fire me, and after you tried to scare me and even threatened me, basically trying to commit fraud by making me agree to something that I didn’t commit, I don’t think your cards are looking great.” Sana says, putting her phone onto the table, showing the opposition that she is recording this entire encounter. Sana is not the rookie they treat her to be, she traveled these roads more than she could even count. She knows how to equip her own shield. She can see that the lawyers are starting to sweat when she continues her monologue, “So either you give me my compensation which I most certainly deserve after the years I gave this company and we terminate the contract or we take this to the court and I will go from Sana the soloist to Sana the CEO. I can guess which sounds better but I will give you the benefit of the doubt. So, Jinyoung-sunbaenim, will you give the check now or will you send it with someone?” 

The uncomfortable expression on her boss’s face deepens but he chooses to stay silent, only glaring at the lawyers surrounding him. Sana feels the best and the worst she felt in years. She finally is freed of all the strings attached to her limbs and muscles that were controlling her every little move. She isn’t forced to smile, she doesn’t have to ‘be a darling’ all the time. She gets to be just Sana after all these years. Yet the 13 year old girl inside of her is horrified at how easily she threw away all of the things she dreamed of. The fame, the fans, and most importantly JYPE. 

She remembers the day she auditioned. Her Korean was still shaky despite the two years she lived and studied there. She remembers how excited she was when she learned that JYP, the legendary company, was recruiting young girls for a special group. And she can never forget how Park Jinyoung was to her even after she flunked her interview by forgetting Korean with stress. He helped her relax and asked her to start over. He gave her a chance to prove she had what it took. 

Then why is he so quick to jump his guns now ? Couldn't he speak with her privately and make things work? 

Sana’s eyes harden as the memories from her last two years flood her mind. All of the times she poured her heart out to him and got rejected because the things she asked to do weren’t ‘suiting’ her image and weren’t that profitable. Her songs were saved as drafts, never even making it to the studio, her ideas always ended up in the trash and any sort of break she requested was glossovered with a ‘we’ll see what we can do’. She just wanted out and she couldn’t do that nicely while his dollar signs for pupils were dancing on her. She had to play nasty. 

This doesn’t mean nothing stung in her when Jinyoung-sunbae looked at her with disappointment. 

This also doesn’t mean that she would budge and bow down. It is time she stands straight. 

“Minatozaki-sshi, if you’ll excuse us for a moment we would like to discuss privately.” One of the lawyers finally manages to say after 30 long seconds of intense staring. Sana bows out of habit and leaves the room to be able to breathe again. 

She never thought that being brave would be this exhausting yet exhilarating. 

Sana figures as she waits for the legal team to be scolded by Park Jinyoung, she can go around the building one last time and bid her farewells to her home of many years. She remembers roaming the corridors of this building God knows how many times over the years, whether it was with joy caused by something good, like her song topping all the charts, or something she cried over, like rumors damaging her like nothing else. 

This time however, there is a bittersweetness to her steps as her heels click with their echoes amplifying them. Her decision to let go of her secret also meant she had to let go of JYPE. Even if that is what she had been trying for a long time, the upset feeling in her stomach doesn’t listen to reason. 

Sana holds her head high though, she won’t back down. She knows she can’t. She has to make it work until the end. Whether that end is today or ten years from now does not matter. That’s at least what Sana tells herself. 

Just as she’s about to step back into the meeting room, her phone buzzes in her hand. 

**Incoming Call**

**Hirai Momo**

Sana looks at the legal team that is still talking amongst themselves and a disheveled Park Jinyoung listening to them silently and takes the call with a sigh. 

“Hi, Hirai-san.” She says as she brings the phone to her ear, noticing later how it would strike as weird to anyone that she still calls her supposed ‘girlfriend’ by her last name. 

“Hello. Am I interrupting anything? I can call later.” Momo says with the smallest voice the singer ever heard from the dancer. She’s probably embarrassed, Sana thinks, her little stunt almost ruined everything. 

“No, we took a break. JYP is busy going crazy.” Sana says with a breathy laugh. Momo also giggles. 

“Look, I just wanted to apologize again… for my rude stunt. I just changed my mind and couldn’t get in touch with you. I’m sorry if it made things more complicated.” Momo says, apologies dripping from her tone. Sana is surprised when she feels the sudden urge to comfort Momo, just a girl she barely knows and doesn’t have the best history with. 

“It’s okay. I don’t mind and well, things were as complicated as they could ever be, so no harm done on your part. Don’t worry, you didn’t do anything bad.” Sana says, and when she can feel a smile from the other side, she adds coyly. “Well, besides saying that I have no sense of direction. That was pretty rude.” 

Momo protests immediately, Sana amuses with the idea that girl is blushing with frustration. She finds herself enjoying this way too much. 

“I already said I’m so-”

“I’m just messing with you, y’know, just like girlfriends do.” Sana interrupts her with amusement all over her face.

“Well, I wouldn’t know what girlfriends do, since this is my first experience with one.” Momo admits quietly. Her shy voice making Sana’s heart beat faster.

Sana pauses at the sudden revelation for a moment before picking up her thoughts once again.

“Then let’s make this a fun one, okay?” Sana says emphatically. She pities her for a brief second when she puts herself in the dancer’s shoes. She doesn’t even know how she would handle her first relationship being a fake one in reality. She feels like continuing chatting but one of the lawyers sticks his head out and tells her in a low voice that they are ready to continue. “Look, I have to go for now but we’ll talk tonight, okay? Love you, Momoring, bye.” She suddenly adds in Korean, loud enough to make sure everyone hears it. She can hear Momo gasp but she hangs up, not waiting for the woman’s reaction and glides her way into the room. 

“Where were we, gentlemen?”

**

Momo patiently waits for Sana to call her back while she keeps herself busy with the comments they have gotten on the internet. She honestly can’t believe what she’s seeing. 

She doesn’t want to read the hate messages, the ones that are homophobic, threatening them with murder, kidnapping and all kinds of other atrocities. She knew they would get them. She won’t call herself an oracle for this, but she knew they would come the minute Sana surprised all of them on the stage just two days ago. What she can’t believe are the supportive ones. All of Sana’s loyal fans are flooding comments sections with defense and support posts, some of them declaring how jealous they are of Momo to be able to love their idol. This just seems like a miracle to Momo. 

She’s sure she’s just dreaming when she realizes that there are many people who defend _her_. There are actual posts praising Momo; her dancing, her looks, her so called bravery. She just can’t believe this. 

She knew that they would be #1 on all the search engines but seeing the name ‘SaMo’ up there right next to their full names, makes her smile for some reason. 

She decides to go onto Youtube to see what Sana’s international fans are thinking and she is greeted by an incredible number of videos with SaMo in the title, a word that meant nothing until two days ago. She watches some of them; most are supportive with a few bitter and hateful ones in the mix. This makes Momo shudder with relief. 

Twitter is the same, although Momo can’t really understand all they are saying. Her English is basic at best and she believes a lot of the the tweets have some sort of slang that she can’t find in the dictionary. 

_@sanaplssteponme: I can’t even believe all this is real,,, not only my queen is gay, she’s already dating a gorgeous dancer??? where is my wig and also where is my 10k+ slow-burn, love-hate SaMo fanfiction??_

Momo tries to understand the tweet but she just can’t piece the meanings together but declares it to be supportive at the end. 

_@mysunsana: guys,, she snapped,, she fucking snapped and there are no survivors including my wig,,,,,I am beyond shooketh,,, shookethest maybe_

Momo frowns, now they aren’t making any sense. What did Sana snap and why do all these people have wigs? 

_@sanavidedits: guys I dug thru 5 hours of footage that had Sana and Momo together and I can’t believe my eyes,,, it’s all there, we all missed it but the smiles, the lingering touches, the heart eyes… I made a compilation_ _check it out_ _and decide for yourself_

Momo clicks the link with curiosity. What could they have found where nothing exists? But she soon saw that she underestimated the fans too much. 

This person, @sanavidedits, did their homework well, too well to be honest. They slowed the footage down, they zoomed in on them, put some romantic, slow music behind, and voila! You got yourself a video ‘proving’ they were dating. 

Honestly Momo is impressed, how did they even manage, she doesn’t know. A clip of them making brief eye contact from a concert a few years back play in the background as Momo lets herself roam into her thoughts.  

What does it mean now that she’s ‘dating’ Sana?

Since their fight a few days ago she hadn’t contacted Mina. She knows she said some horrible things she didn’t mean but she’s not sure how much more she can go on with the aching hole in her heart. How could her best friend be so blind to her feelings? It’s funny how close they are yet Mina knows so little of Momo’s feelings. 

Her phone lights up at last, showing the display name: The Soloist Sana-san

“Hello?” She answers cautiously, she’s not sure how did the girl’s meeting with the boss go. She hears a deep sigh from the other side. 

“Hi,” The voice pauses for a moment before picking up the conversation again, making Momo think that she’s exhausted for some reason, “It ended.”

“What ended?” Momo asks, suddenly lost at the soloist’s choice of words. “The meeting or-”

“My contract, it is terminated now.” Sana explains hastily, her voice has almost an impatient edge, “I am free.”

Momo carefully shifts on her bed and lets the sole of her feet touch the floor. She’s surprised to see an uncomfortable expression on her own face when she looks over to the mirror next to her closet. “You don’t sound happy.” She finally blurts out , “I thought this was what you wanted?”

She senses that Sana’s hesitant to answer so she waits patiently. “Ah, it was... It is.” The soloist explains, “I just feel kind of empty now.”

Momo hums in return, concerned that she’s about to say something wrong that will bring Sana’s mood even more down. They are still strangers for the most part. “It’s normal.” Momo reassures with the softest voice she can manage to find, “It’s all very new, right? It will take you a while to get used to it.”

She hears Sana giggle after a short-lived silence, following with a murmur. “You know, this is the nicest you’ve been to me.”

Momo can’t contain herself from pouting upon hearing this. “I’m always nice.”

“Well, you weren’t so nice to me when yo-”

“I said I was sorry.” Momo whines, “I don’t think that, really, it’s just that your songs aren’t my style.”

She hears movement from Sana’s side of the phone, like the rustling of the wind and the crowded streets of Seoul. Another soft chuckle escapes the soloist’s mouth and Momo finds herself enjoying all these sounds. “Do you want to know a secret?” Sana interrogates in a mysterious voice and pauses for a bit before her grand reveal, “I don’t like them either.”

This leaves Momo gasping before she can stop herself. “You what? But they’re _your_ songs!”

“They are produced and written by other people. I don’t get a say in them.” Sana says with a  sad voice before cheering up once again, “But those days are gone now!”

“So what do you think of doing next?” Momo can’t help but ask, “What will _we_ be doing?”

“Ah, we…” Sana stops speaking all of a sudden like an idea struck her, “Hey, are you free for dinner? Let’s talk about this face to face.”

**

Turns out Sana’s idea of dinner is just her showing up at Momo’s apartment with two boxes of pizza and cans of beer. Very romantic.

It’s all very quiet and a tad bit awkward as they set the table, nothing is heard but the clinging of plates and glasses. They sit across each other and Momo can’t help but snort at the absurd situation.

“So, what are we planning to do from now on?” Momo asks, “It’s all very last minute.”

“I plan on establishing my own company.” Sana confesses between bites, “I, uh, don’t know how yet but I’ll try. I can’t give up on being a performer yet, it was my dream. It still is.” She blabbers a bit more, “I’m not sure how all this will affect the situation. But I don’t think it’ll be for the better now that I think about it. And I-”

“Hey, hey, breathe.” Momo interrupts, fearing that Sana’s going to choke herself with the fast speaking and eating pace of hers, “I can’t say that it will be for the better, surely. But it can have some advantages too.”

Sana examines her face before grimacing. “For you, sure. For me? I don’t think so.”

Momo makes a face at the girl’s words, suddenly feeling backstabbed. “What does that even mean? I thought we were in this together.”

Sana groans upon hearing this, running her empty hand through her hair in frustration. “I’m sorry, I don’t think I’m in the best place to argue about this right now. I just feel so confused. All I saw was news articles about you and me today, I didn’t think it would be this much of a hot issue.” She shakes her head and averts her gaze from Momo’s curious one, “Maybe we shouldn’t have done this. I don’t know how to deal with it.”

Trying to control her overbearing feelings, Momo listens to the singer in distress. “Well, there is no turning back now.” Momo states honestly, “And whatever happens, you’re not alone in this. I’m also involved. We can’t back down, it would just look pathetic. ”

“No need to phrase it like that but yeah.” Sana admits, taking another slice from the pizza, “But can we talk about the details later, please? I’m so not in the mood for another serious discussion right now.”

Momo eyes the idol with caution. Her sad gaze is fixed on her food, she looks like she could use a friend right now. Momo briefly wonders if Sana really has enough people she can lean on to. 

“Fine.” Momo half heartedly agrees, and continues with a pinch of curiosity, “So what do you want to do?”

The room is silent as Sana thinks of an anwer, giving Momo time to examine her in her purest form. She has this raw charm surrounding her, making her thinking face look kind of cute. No wonder she’s the nation’s sweetheart, Momo thinks. 

“Where are you from?” Sana changes the topic suddenly by breaking the tranquility, then leans her head on her hand, “I mean I know you’re Japanese but…”

“I’m from Kyoto.” Momo answers eagerly, excited to get to know the girl in front of her, “What about you?”

“Osaka!” Sana replies with the same enthusiasm, Momo feels like the soloist’s eyes contain stardust with the way she is gazing up at her, “Second question, how did you end up in Korea?”

“My family moved here due to my dad’s job when I was in high school,” Momo explains, remembering the faint memory of leaving her hometown, “It was kind of hard to adjust but I managed.”

“Any siblings?”

“An older sister, her name is Hana.” Momo says, slightly surprised at the soloist’s sudden interrogation but she play along. “What about you?”

Sana pouts cutely as she answers. “I am an only child.”

Momo is about to asks further when the doorbell rings, interrupting their impromptu game of 21 questions. Telling Sana to stay where she is, Momo stands up to get it, only to be surprised by the person she finds waiting for her.

“Mina?” She blurts out when she spots the younger, “What are you doing here?”

Supporting an unreadable expression, the lawyer looks up to her. “Hey, I… did a lot of thinking since our fight and I guess I was wrong to not tell you things.” She starts monologuing, playing with the hem of her coat, “Of course, this doesn’t justify your… outburst to me.” She pauses to give Momo a pointed look. “But, uhm, since I feel like you’re always apologizing I’m here to take the initiative for once.” A delightful shade of red colors her cheeks and Momo finds herself falling once again. She tries to find words to say but her brain is in a haze, she can only stare back at Mina in relief. 

“So, can I come inside? It’s strange to stand here like that.” Mina suggests.

And Momo, who forgot about whole presence of her fake-girlfriend in matter of seconds like a big fool over Mina’s small gesture of peace, moves back a little so that Mina can make her way inside. Which only results with her remembering Sana is inside in an instant and bolting over, just to appear right behind Mina a few seconds late. 

Sana who’s sitting on her kitchen chair in all her glory makes eye contact with an obviously taken aback Mina. 

“Uh… hi?” Sana reacts, gaze turning to Momo in confusion, “Is this your friend… baby?”

Mina’s head snap towards Momo, mouth slightly parted with shock. “I… didn’t know you were occupied.” If Momo didn’t know Mina that well, she would say that she was embarrassed but she’s one of the few that can spot the raw anger at the back of the lawyer’s eyes. She has to improvise.

“Sana!” Momo suddenly yelps, “You haven’t met Mina, right? This is Myoui Mina, my dearest best friend.”

Something in Sana’s expression shifts, eyebrows lifting almost immediately. She visibly is shaken but she doesn’t give Momo the time to question her behaviour since she collects herself in a heartbeat and puts a charming smile on her face. Standing up and bowing, she responds, “My name is Sana, I’m Momo’s girlfriend.”

Mina purses her lips upon Sana’s introduction, still doesn’t let the politeness go. “Myoui Mina, it’s nice to meet you.”

Confused by the sudden rise of tension in the room, Momo intertwines. “I should have introduced you two earlier but...” She awkwardly chuckles as the end of her sentence fades into the silence. In a desperate way to avoid speaking more, she walks up to the fridge to get them more beer. She can’t think of a better way to escape awkwardness with these two. 

“Ah, you don’t have to give me one. I have an early morning ahead of me tomorrow. A lot of stuff to handle, y’know? It’s best if I get going.” Sana says, flashing them the loveliest of smiles. “It was really nice to meet you, Myoui-san. I hope we can hang out for longer in the future.” 

Before any of them can say anything, she’s out of her seat. Momo had to give credit to the idol, she is apparently very good at fleeing from crisis situations.

Sana bows to Mina slightly and then without hesitation turns back to Momo, who is carrying three cans of beer, and gives her a quick peck on the lips. Momo freezes at the gesture, hoping that she’s not going red. “I’ll see you tomorrow, babe.” 

The air between Mina and Momo only thickens with discomfort when Sana bids her goodbye and leaves. 

“So…” Mina starts, toying with her fingers. “That was Minatozaki Sana.” 

“Just Sana is enough.” Momo says shrugging, she’s trying her hardest to play it cool, “She’s really great, I’m sure you’ll like her.” 

Mina mutters something under her breath, but evades it when Momo says “Huh?”

Momo can guess how this relationship will affect her friendship with Mina. 

Good, she thinks, it’s time she stops taking me for granted. I didn’t even date anyone because I thought she would come around and see me, she whines further in her head. Not letting any of her thoughts affect her expressions, Momo hands Mina one of the cans of beer as she puts the third away. 

“She just left in a rush.” Mina observes, thoughtful eyes on Momo’s figure, “I hope I didn’t interrupt anything.”

Momo shakes her head. “No, it’s alright. She was just about to leave anyway.” She glances at the kitchen table, seeing Sana’s half-eaten slice of pizza. “Do you want some pizza? We have leftovers.”

Mina politely rejects her offer, and proceeds to press on the subject. “So, how did you two become close?”

“Ah, it’s just…” Momo pauses to make up something, directing her gaze on the floor so that her action may come off as shy, “She had some trouble with the dance moves a while back and I offered to stay back and help her. It just… kind of happened, I guess.”

Momo watches her best friend hum with knitted eyebrows. She feels terrible about lying to Mina of all people. The woman before her had been her pride for many years now. 

“I wonder what other things that just kind of happens you’re not telling me.”

Momo flinches at Mina’s words, hurt and surprised at the same time. Just as she’s about to open her mouth to make an objection Mina cuts her off, as if she’s had enough with this fight. “Don’t answer. I know that you don’t have to tell me every little thing about your life.”

But you hold my life inside your hands, Momo wants to say. Instead, she just swallows down her words.

“Let’s watch something.” She says plopping down onto the tired-looking brown couch, in a rush to change the topic. Mina settles right next to her, sipping her drink quietly as she watches Momo surf through shows. When the dancer finally settles on something, she leans back and Mina automatically scoots into the space between the girl’s legs, making herself comfortable by resting her head on the girl’s chest. Momo knows better than to read into this gesture but her fragile heart can’t help but skip a beat. She ignores the feeling and puts her chin on the girl’s shoulder, eyes glued to the screen. A good half an hour passes before either of them talks. 

“Momoring.” Mina says with a whisper that Momo frequently hears in her dreams. “Are we good?” 

Momo takes a deep breath, the flowery scent of the girl’s shampoo filling her lungs to its brim, Momo feels like never exhaling. “Of course we are. You know I can’t stay away from you more than two days.” 

“I’m sorry that I didn’t introduce you to Chaeyoung. You were right, I should have.” Mina says, squeezing Momo’s thigh as a reassurance. Momo’s breath hitches slightly. 

“It’s okay. You aren’t the only one who lied.” Momo says, entirely honest. Should she just tell Mina the truth? 

“I can understand why you didn’t tell me. Sana-san wouldn’t be comfortable, I guess.” Mina says with acceptance. “She’s really cute.” 

“I think so too.” Momo mumbles, her eyes not leaving Mina. Sana is not even on her mind anymore. “She is all I can ask for.” 

“Pfft.” Mina says, she is probably rolling her eyes at Momo. “You got it bad.” 

“Yes, I do.” Momo says, pathetically hoping that the girl on her lap gets the impossible message. 

**

**My Actual Gf:**

Good morning :)

It’s a few days later when Momo awakes from her slumber only to be greeted by a text from Sana. With an untrusting squint, she types back a quick response before getting out of the bed to wash her face. 

**Me:**

morning to you 2

did you want something?

**My Actual Gf:**

Why so mean :<

But yeah

A radio show wants to guest us 

**Me:**

rrly??

do u think itd be good for us tho

**My Actual Gf:**

I mean it could be good pr

Like as a cute couple

As long as we don’t mess up…

Momo throws her phone and sighs, wondering what made Sana so sure that they wouldn’t mess up. 

 


	5. Complication

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which rules are made.

“Sana-sshi, Hirai Momo-sshi, welcome!” Says the MC, an overly excited guy that Momo vaguely remembers seeing around the internet. She smiles back out of courtesy.

“I’m so glad you two accepted our request for an interview. Being the first major idol to come out as a lesbian, that takes a lot of courage.” He says, gesturing them to sit. “I was going to send the interview outline to your manager but…”

Sana smiles next to Momo, her hand gripping Momo’s a bit too tight. Momo holds herself back from looking at Sana worriedly. “Ah, yes. I am no longer a part of the JYP family and I haven’t found a new manager yet.” She says in a soft voice. “Can we look over the questions before we start? Just want to make sure we are all comfortable and safe here.”

The way Sana handles these situations amaze Momo as they are handed a piece of paper that contains several questions and left alone.

“Let’s decide our answers quickly, okay?” Says Sana in Japanese, hoping that nobody around them knows the language. “How did we meet?”

“Well… Dance practice?” Momo says, raising her eyebrows.

“Of course, but what are the details?” Sana answers, rolling her eyes at Momo.

“I don’t know… How about you were having trouble memorizing your steps and I helped you?” Momo says cheekily.

“Why on earth would I ask you for help?” Sana says, folding her arms defensively. Momo can’t help but to think she looks the cutest when she’s pouting. “Maybe you wanted to be a part of my back up dancers so much that you begged me on your knees and I pitied you.”

“You know they practically begged me to be in your crew, right? I wasn’t going to but JYP only wanted the best people.” Momo says, shrugging smugly.

Sana frowns. “Show-off.”

“Just facts, _my dear._ ” Momo adds annoyingly.

Sana slaps her arm lightly. “Get serious for a second. We need to get it together.”

“Okay, we met via the dance studio and they assigned me to give you extra lessons. We became good friends and you came out to me a year ago, leading me to come out to you also. We danced around the fact that we both liked each other and you decided to confess six months ago and we’ve been dating ever since.” Momo says in one go, hoping Sana won’t comment about how quickly she pulled that story up. It’s not like Momo had been daydreaming, she was just making plans. “How does that sound?”

“Why am I the one who’s doing all the embarrassing parts?” Sana says, exasperated, “I thought we were equals in this relationship.”

“Hey, I was scared of your fame status, okay? I’m shy like that, plus it’s heartwarming for the listeners.” Momo argues.

“Fine.” Sana replies grumpily. “Let’s move on to the other questions. How was our first date like?”

They go over all the questions barely without arguing as the MC comes back and patiently waits for the two to stop bickering before speaking.

“The make-up team is ready for you. We will start airing in half an hour.”

They make their way towards the make-up station when Momo whispers, panicking slightly. “Wait, is this live?”

“Well, yeah. I don’t know why either.” Sana murmurs, eyebrows knitted.

She doesn’t like it. Live means no editing and that means awkward mistakes, silences and not so funny broadcasts in general.

Why did Momo even agree to this?

 

As they sat down to get their makeup done, Momo fidgets in her seat, annoying the make-up artist who is trying to get her to sit still. Sana sighs at her and grabs her hand. “Will you relax? I will be there and people won’t mind you making mistakes, they will think it’s cute since you are new to this. Don’t worry, alright?”

The smile Sana gives her through the mirror calms her beating heart and helps her breathe.

 

When they are done, a staff member hooks them up with the equipment needed and instructs them on what to do. Momo is listening to him religiously while Sana does everything on auto-pilot, it’s not her first rodeo after all.

 

Somebody yells out the time left before they go live and the couple take their seats. Momo nervously taps her fingers onto the table, causing Sana to hold her hand and smile. “Relax, Momoring.”

She manages to roll her eyes at the girl and laugh a bit, her body releasing some of its tension.

 

“Live in five, four, three, two, one.” Calls out the director, and then gives a nod to the MC.

 

If Momo has to be honest, she would say she did a pretty good job. Sure, she stumbled upon her words here and there but the MC was really good at his job, covering up for her or making her mistakes seem cute or funny without Momo having to try. Sana also handled pretty much eighty percent of the interview, calming Momo down. So that is why Momo breathes out with relief as the MC asks them the final pre-determined question.

 

“Well this concludes the interview part of our broadcast. We thank the lovely couple for honoring our radio show and we have a final surprise for them!” The MC reads of the cue cards.

Sana and Momo shift in their seats with panic. Momo’s discomfort is way more apparent than Sana’s, her eyes shaking with the clumsiness of a first-timer.

“Let’s play newlywed game and see if our sweethearts are as close as they seem!”

Momo wants to bang her head to the table until she gets knocked out.

 

**

 

Flinching upon the host’s cheerful tone, Sana shoots a panicked look at Momo who looks like she’s going to pass out any second. It’s okay, she tries to tell with her eyes, even when she knows it’s, in fact, not okay. Turning to the MC with a polite smile, she just decides on leaving herself at the hands of her cruel fate.

“So, we are going to ask you some questions about your partner and you both have to answer at the same time. If you say the same thing, you’ll get a point. The winner gets a coupon from our lovely sponsor, Kyochon Chicken.”

Sana giggles into her microphone with the hopes of cracking a joke to signal Momo to be calm. “Well, it doesn’t matter who wins, we’ll probably eat together anyway.”

“Those are the rules, Sana-sshi.” The host replies with a chuckle, “Let’s start the game with our lovely couple here, alright?” He checks his cards once again, “Are you ready?”

The girls both nod helplessly.

“First question is for Sana.” The MC reads, eyes hiding a playful glint, “What is Momo’s favorite food?”

Sana blinks a few times to mask that she’s actually lost for a moment. She tries to recall all those times where she overheard the dance crew talking about going out somewhere to eat after practice, but she comes up with nothing at all.

“Answer in 3… 2… 1...”

“Jokbal.” Momo blurts out, simultaneously as Sana says, “Fried chicken?”

There is  a second of silence where Momo and Sana make eye contact, both in different states of panic until everyone in the studio -everybody but them- lets out a giggle as if to laugh at the lovers who are seemingly having a moment of disagreement.

Sensing that this is the only way that they can get some sympathy out of this, Sana decides to benefit from the amusing lover’s quarrel card while hoping that Momo will take the hint and play along. “What?” She exclaims all of a sudden, turning to a very confused-looking Momo, “We were eating fried chicken the other day and you told me that it was the best thing you’ve ever had!”

“I… uhm,” Momo hesitates, but she must’ve finally spotted the desperate look on Sana’s face because her eyes shine with recognition for a second. “I mean, sure, it was good for fried chicken but compared to jokbal? Pfft.”

Sana opens her mouth to respond but the host intervenes, which is reasonable considering their limited airing time is almost coming to an end. He clears the situation by softly chuckling and reading out the other question. “Momo, what is Sana’s favorite color? In 3… 2… 1...”

“Blue?” Momo sounds absolutely devastated at this point and Sana’s cringing when she blurts out, “Green...ish blue.”

It’s a smart move on her part because then she adds, “Well, yes, basically blue.”

“Then the score is Momo 1 – Sana 0, everyone.” The MC seems conflicted about counting this as a win for Momo but he goes on, “Now, Sana, what is Momo’s favorite ice cream flavor?”

“Vanilla!”

“Lemon?”

They subtly glare at each other, Momo, because she feels like this is a disaster and Sana, because of her frustration with the other girl. _Why aren’t you making this easier for me?_ , Sana tries to send her thoughts over Momo who’s sitting right across her, _will you ever?_

Momo tries to cover up with an embarrassed laugh. “Oh, I thought you were asking what is Sana’s favorite. Haha.”

“Ah, too bad, Momo-sshi.” The host pities, seeming slightly puzzled by the cluelessness of each other’s tastes of the two leading actresses of South Korea’s latest hot gossip, “It seems like this isn’t right either. Don’t worry though, we’ve got five more questions waiting for us!”

_Great, just great._

 

**

 

“Momo 3 – Sana 1. Congratulations on the coupon, Momo-sshi!” Sana holds her urge to sigh with relief when the host ends the stupid game, “And this concludes our broadcast everyone. Thanks to the hot couple SaMo for joining us. We’ll be back with the evening news soon.”

Much later, when they’ve thanked the staff and the producer for having them and showing them so much respect, they are out of the studio, more specifically by the gates of the huge building that says KBS in enormous letters. Both look like they either have a sudden urge to run over to the road and throw themselves in front of the first car they see or the pizza they’ve shared earlier did some tricks on their stomachs.

“So that was…” Sana starts, unsure of how to describe those horrible minutes filled with awkward silences and apologies filled with ‘we haven’t been going out for that long’. Which was total bullshit, since earlier they explicitly told the host, and the viewers unfortunately, that they’ve been friends for almost three years. And what kind of girlfriend doesn’t know their beloved’s blood type?

“A total disaster.” Momo finishes the sentence Sana was so afraid to end, her face still red from the embarrassment earlier, then she disquietly adds in a small voice, “What were we thinking?”

Sana sighs, fishes her phone out of her pocket to check the live comments, but decides against it when she finds herself too scared to face the harsh criticism. “Okay.” She mumbles, more to comfort herself than anyone else, “Okay, okay. We’ve got this.” She feels a storm of anxiousness approaching so she takes a deep breath and focuses on Momo, “Let’s go over to my apartment.”

A scandalous look appears on Momo’s already uneasy face, eyebrows shooting up as a sudden reflex. “What do you mean? This wasn’t what I had in mind when I implied we had to get to know each other better!”

“No!” Sana quickly clarifies, her cheeks blush with the innuendo. “We need a plan. Immediately.”

 

**

 

Before anything else, they huddle in front of Sana’s Macbook and start to read the comments of the radio show one by one, each making them more upset.

 

  * __Lol I bet they’re doing that only for the promo ;;;__


  * _Do they even know each other lmao_


  * _SaMo proven to be fake, next_



 

“People are just horrible.” Momo murmurs sadly from her left, making Sana want to comfort her suddenly. She keeps forgetting that it’s Momo’s first time encountering things like this.

“They are.” Sana reasons, tilting her head to make eye contact with her fake girlfriend, “But they’ll always say whatever they want. We can fix this, trust me.”

Momo’s expression turns unreadable as she averts her gaze. “Maybe we shouldn’t have done this.” She declares, voice tired all of a sudden, making Sana surprised.

The idol gulps, feeling Momo’s seriousness about her reluctance with their agreement. She shakes her head vigorously and reaches to grab Momo’s shoulder, after a moment of hesitation she pats the older’s arm in some kind of affection.

“You know we can’t do that.” Sana states in honesty, “Those comments would only worsen if we did that, you know?” She pauses before her next words, careful to not hurt the woman beside her, “Plus, you’re not only doing this for your dance career, right?” Sana lets her curiosity win over her, remembering the awkward encounter earlier with the lawyer, Mina, who is coincidentally and unfortunately the same lawyer she asked for advice, “There’s something more.”

Momo seems conflicted for a moment before nodding hesitantly, eyes carrying a heavy anguish. Her face is caught up in a hopeless expression that breaks Sana’s heart. The dancer sighs and meets Sana’s watchful gaze and that’s when Sana knows that she wants to say more.

“What happened with her?”

“It’s… uhm, complicated.” Momo gives a sad smile, “I mean it’s simple for her and complicated for me.” Sana nods, encouraging the other to go on. “I… I’ve been in love with her ever since I can remember, Minatozaki, it’s ridiculous.” Momo shakes her head at herself, she seems to be very interested in the patterns on the carpet, “We were childhood friends and I can’t even remember or imagine my life without her. And she-- she’s always out there dating those other girls. I know, God, I know I have no right to feel like this. But I don’t know what more I can do to make her look at me with stars in her eyes.”

Sana watches Momo’s petite frame for a few seconds, her mind running at full speed. The dancer’s eyes are glassy, Sana’s spent enough time in the trainee room to know that she’s holding back tears. Sana wonders if anyone ever loved her the same way the dancer girl loves the lawyer, her heart whispering to her how nice it would be to be loved in the same way by Momo. Sana unconsciously feels resentment for Mina, who is not even aware of the situation as far as they know.

Like a lighting striking a garden, she comes to a sudden decision.

“Hirai Momo, we’ll be the best fake girlfriends this world has ever seen.” Sana says with determination, a hand making a fist reflexively, “Those mean commenters will see, and you’ll get the girl in the end. Win-win for the both of us.”

Momo blinks up at her like she understands the words separately but can’t quite put a meaning to whole sentences. “And how is that possible?”

Sana gives her the best idol smile she can manage, seemingly full of confidence. “Your Minatozaki Sana dating experience has officially started.” She declares, and continues with giving an exaggerated wink, “Fasten your seatbelt.”

 

**

 

It surprises her that Sana fits right into Momo’s kitchen table with papers spread all over it and her laptop open, waiting to be used. Due to their mutual exhaustion and emotional damage they agreed on meeting the day after the catastrophic radio show to discuss their agreement.

“Alright,” Sana starts, catching Momo’s attention and pulling her out the dreamland, “As we need a contract first, I made a draft last night.” She pushes an A4 paper towards Momo, her handwriting curved and neat on it.

“Why are you the one who’s deciding the rules?” Momo whines as she pouts at Sana but still takes the paper and pores over it.

 

 

  1. __Hirai Momo and Minatozaki Sana’s arrangement will go on for three months and after that the two will part ways unless they mutually decide that the contract needs any extensions.__
  2. _Neither Hirai Momo nor Minatozaki Sana can engage in an act that will endanger the arrangement._
  3. _Neither parties are allowed to date someone else in the duration of the contract._
  4. _Both parties are required to learn the basic knowledge about the other’s life._
  5. _Both parties have to spend at least a day of the week together._ (Momo gazes up at Sana after reading this with an arched brow. But the other girl seems unfazed.)
  6. _The benefit of the agreement and the parties’ public image is to be put priority._ (“Huh? Isn’t that too ambiguous?” Momo complains, “Is it priority over… I don’t know, my dog’s death?” Sana blinks at her before waving a dismissive hand. “You can edit it as you want. Just tell me what you wrote.”)
  7. _Momo is required to tell Sana that she’s pretty at least once a day._ (“What?” Momo exclaims, “Why would this be an article?” Sana shrugs, “Girlfriends, remember?” This prompts Momo to take the nearest pen and start writing down furiously.)
  8. _Minatozaki is required to be present during Momo’s each dance practice and tell her how well she’s doing._ (“Oh yeah?” Sana gives her an amused smile and takes the pen in a swift motion.)
  9. _Momo is required to choreograph a passionate dance routine for the both of them._ (“Now you’re just exaggerating!” Momo takes the pen back, letting blue ink mark the page again.)
  10. Sa _ _na is required to write Momo a love song.__



 

 The idol softly chuckles, shaking her head at Momo. “I think that would actually be cute.”

Momo is surprised to be defeated by her own hands when she admits, “Yeah, it would.”

“So we’re actually doing it.” Sana glances at her nervously, “I mean we were doing it before too, but now we have a contract and all.”

Momo directs the pen to Sana, and smiles mischievously. “We haven’t signed yet.”

She can’t let the situation sink in because if she does she knows that she will try to back away. She writes down her name and scrabbles her sign, and exhales as she extends the paper to Sana who’s ready to do the same.

“Now,” Sana leans on one hand on the table, smirking a little too devilishly, “Why don’t you start with telling me that I’m pretty?”

  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi there! long time no see, we were both battling with midterms :( i hope you liked this chapter. we'll see some development between samo soon ^^
> 
> you can drop your thoughts on [twitter](https://twitter.com/buzukiff) or [cc!](https://curiouscat.me/buzukiff)


	6. Deception

If she has to be completely honest, this whole public appearance thing is scaring Momo a little. She’s always mindful of what to say, what to do, where to place her hands, what kind of facial expression she should maintain… Now, she wouldn’t confess this, not even in million years, but Sana’s firm presence really helps. A pull to the side, a touch on her elbow, a meaningful gaze. Momo isn’t so sure if Sana is conscious of all the little gestures she makes but she’s acting as if she’s a lighthouse in the middle of the sea of curious reporters right now, an arm firmly locked with Momo’s as if to assure her that everything’s going well.

“Don’t make eye contact. Just smile at the ground.” Sana’s hot breath hits her neck when the soloist leans down to whisper in her ear in order to make herself heard, “Or, better yet, smile at me.” 

Sana retracts to their original proximity with a wink, totally unfazed by the flashes of the dozens of cameras around. Momo blanks for a second; half the reason she’s feeling dizzy is because of the crowd, and the other half is because she can’t deny Sana’s attractiveness.

“Okay.” She manages to murmur, unconsciously leaning more into the girl beside her. She manages to relax a little at last.  

They are on their way to yet another interview, in a desperate hope to save their pride from the clusterfuck that was the radio show a few days ago. Sana was glad when they had gotten the invite, unlike Momo’s whose worry is eating her inside. When they finally enter the building safely, Sana gently grabs her by the arm and pulls her aside discreetly, concern written all over her face.

“Are you alright?” She asks, kind eyes looking down at her, “You seem so tense.”

Momo had spent the last few days in between sudden rushes of confidence and dazzling fear. So, naturally, she wants to do well today. She nods to Sana, who’s waiting for a response, but the woman before her just gives her a gentle smile along with an unconvinced look. She suddenly takes Momo’s hands in hers with a swift move.

“Hey, look at me.” Sana whispers, “I’m here with you, alright? This one’s not even live. Everything’s gonna go well.”

Sana’s sincere tone makes Momo question if there’s someone filming them that she can’t see. But when she discreetly looks on Sana’s shoulder, she finds them alone in a secluded corner of the building. Momo gulps as she gazes into Sana’s eyes again. 

“Uhm, yeah.. Thank you, Minatozaki.” Momo mumbles, flustered because of their closeness, “I really appreciate it.” 

She expects Sana to let go of her hands but the slightly younger just giggles and responds, “Don’t you think it’s time that you start calling me Sana?”

Momo’s sure that the tips of her ears are starting to redden while Sana’s looking at her expectantly which makes her break away her gaze and pull her hands out of Sana’s grip. 

“Sure, Sana.” She starts, a strange tingle going through her stomach, “Stop being so touchy now.”

The younger one just pouts at her rejection of affection, and just decides to let it go. She gestures Momo to follow her, since she’s the who actually knows where she’s going. 

Lucky for them, the MC today is some idol from a now disbanded group. She’s actually likeable and since the interview is not live, they manage to do a decent job. Momo hopes that they’re able to sell that lovesick, excited couple façade. But she supposes with Sana’s constant flirting and her blushing red face, this wasn’t much of an issue. 

There’s still some bad feeling in the depths of her stomach as they make their way out of the building, towards Momo’s 2009 model car. She briefly wonders if Sana minds this sudden downgrade from limousines. She must’ve been unconsciously silent the whole ride because Sana gently touches her hand on the gear shift when they come to a stop in front of a red light, catching Momo’s attention.

“Hey, I know thing have been hectic lately.” Sana starts, for once actually looking guilty, “But I know a way to fix it, okay? I’ll call my ex manager, she’ll know how to make it all believable.”

“You don’t have to constantly apologize.” Momo affirms after a pause, the light is green again and Sana’s warmth leaves Momo’s hand as she brings it back on the steering wheel, “I am in this too, you know. You always feel like you’re the cause of all this when you’re not. I agreed to this, remember that. But you’re right, we should seek some help.”

She doesn’t turn to Sana even though she feels her eyes on her, for one part she’s driving and for the second, she knows she’ll be looking at her with that captivating gaze of hers, mouth curled up in a smirk. 

“Don’t do that with your face.” Momo warns before she can help herself, having a hard time with focusing on the road.

“Do what?” She checks Sana’s expression on the rearview mirror. The soloist seems genuinely confused, raising a hand to touch her chin. “Is there something on my face?”

“No, you just keep doing this… idol expression. It’s like you’re trying to be seducing. I know because I do that too when I’m dancing on the stage.” Momo reasons, totally unaware of the fact that she had just enabled some switch in Sana’s mind.

“Oh? Is it working then?” A smile is evident in the younger’s voice, Momo doesn’t even have to look to confirm, “Are you falling for me yet?”

Even though her heart starts to beat a tad bit faster, upon hearing this Momo deadpans, “No.” 

Anyone would be at least slightly excited to be the target of Sana’s affection. 

Sana comes closer, leaning on the armrest and gazing up at Momo. “What about now?” 

“Minatozaki, if we get into a car accident, it’ll be on you.”

Sana’s lively giggle fills the car suddenly, making Momo crack a smile as well. “Sorry, you’re kind of fun to tease.”

“I’m glad at least one of us is having fun.” Momo challenges, suddenly finding it very tempting to get on Sana’s nerves.

“Hm? You sure you’re not enjoying talking to me? You’re smiling.”

Momo’s conscious of her expression in an instant, smile dropping and face going back its neutral state. “Am not.”

“Uh-huh.” Sana confirms in a mocking matter, “Whatever you say, hotshot.”

 

* * *

 

Kim Dahyun stands right on the middle of Sana’s living room, eyeing them both with a sharp, inspecting gaze. If she hadn’t asked for milk and cookies from Sana earlier when she first arrived Momo would even find her glare intimidating. When Sana and Momo came back from their schedule to Sana’s apartment building, Momo was looking for excuses to not stay for a bit to avoid the confused feelings within herself, she had opened her mouth to say something when someone behind them cleared her throat. Apparently Dahyun had some sort of sixth-sense that made her show up when they had just talked about her. 

 

“Nah, you two aren’t dating.” Dahyun concludes at the end, snapping Momo out of her thoughts, shrugging and then plopping down on the loveseat simultaneously.

“What?” Sana exclaims, looking sort-of offended, “No, no, we are! Momo, baby, tell her we’re dating.”

“We’re dating.” Momo replies dryly, she sees no point on pressing but still complies Sana’s order. “We’re dating _so much_.”

Dahyun fixes her inquisitive gaze on Sana. “Unnie, I have been beside you for the last two years constantly. You and I both know that you wouldn't be able to keep this from me, especially for such a long time.” 

This statement seems to have broken Sana’s confident demeanor, as the celebrity just groans and leans her head on the sofa. Which makes a triumphant smile grow on Dahyun’s face, the girl softening immediately. 

“Fine, you caught us. Are you going to tell people?” Sana says jokingly, her voice failing to mask her uncertainty.

“I mean if you agree to give me a raise, I heard nothing.” Dahyun says cheekily. “It’s obvious that you need someone to manage you and hey, I’m a manager! What a coincidence.” 

Momo doesn’t really know what to say as the two friends tease each other back and forth for a bit. This whole ordeal ends with Sana acting all cutesy with Dahyun to get her to accept her manager position, not that Dahyun wasn’t willing. 

“Fine… I guess I  _ have to _ be your babysitter.” Dahyun says with a mock-sigh. “It’s not like I quit my job in JYP just to do that.” 

Sana drops her cute act all of a sudden. “You did?” 

Dahyun nods. “I mean, I already wanted to quit for a year now, I never brought this up to you, well, because you were the reason I stayed, but I had a few problems with the company. Now that you left, I had no reason to actually stay there and just came here to see if you wanted me back.” 

Sana rushes to hug Dahyun. “You always have a place with me.”

The two stay like that for a minute until Momo clears her throat to excuse herself. It seems like the pair has a lot of catching up to do. Dahyun eyes the dancer who’s trying to leave quietly. “Where are you going, Momo-sshi?” 

Feeling a bit awkward, Momo answers with a tense smile. “You guys looked like you needed a moment…” 

Dahyun laughs a little and leaves Sana’s arms who pouts like a little girl. “Our need for catching up is less urgent than your situation.” She says, leaning back. “So, I suppose you two want out of this mess?”

“No, actually...” Sana hastily explains, not really embarrassed because they’ve been found out, “We want to fix our public image. We want to be, how to put it, an ‘ _ it _ ’ couple of some sorts.”

“I think  _ it _ couple is a bit of a stretch,” Momo intervenes, “Just… fix the mess we’ve made the other day, please?”

The youngest of the three looks lost in thought for a moment, her eyes are weighing Momo and Sana. “You can’t fix this by making more public appearances.” She states, “You need something more genuine. Like… Sana, is the Vlive application still on your phone?” Upon seeing the soloist nod, she grins. “Okay, here’s the plan. You’re gonna open that app now and start a live. Then, we’re gonna use some social media to make you two look believable. God, are you two even following each other on instagram?”

The pair on the sofa blinks at Dahyun, not being really sure about how to respond. “Uh, my account is locked so it won’t be a problem.”

Dahyun gives them a disappointed sigh, pinching the bridge of her nose in exasperation. “Did you two even think about this for a collective thirty seconds? Okay, okay. We can make things right. Just promise me that you won’t be awkward on camera. That interview was a mess.”

Sana catches Momo’s eyes for validation before answering. With a little nod of encouragement, she goes on. “Yeah, yeah. We’ll be okay.”

The end of her sentence hangs in the air for a moment as the fake-dating pair is eyeing each other. 

“Really?” Dahyun asks skeptically, “Let’s test that theory. Move closer towards each other, lovebirds, we don’t have all day to train you to be a couple.”

Momo’s sure her expression is turning gradually horrified as Sana scoots closer. The soloist seems reluctant while she tries to awkwardly fit into the space between Momo’s shoulders, practically lying on top of her. 

A few uncomfortable seconds pass as they both fix their gazes on random objects in the room, anything but each other or Dahyun’s amused face. 

“You both look like I just force-fed you a whole lemon each.”

Sana breaks away from Momo with a whine upon hearing the youngest’s words. She shakes her head as if she’d be able to get rid of the nerves with each sharp movement of her head and turns to Dahyun. “How do you expect us to be all lovey-dovey? We didn’t even talk to each other that much before this whole thing happened!”

Dahyun’s eyebrows shoot up at Sana’s outburst, a hint of a smug grin evident on the corners of her lips. “If you can’t even hug in front of me, how do you plan on convincing the entire country?” When the fake-dating pair stays silent, she takes it as her cue to go on, “Sana, I can’t agree that this is a great idea but I see you two are really serious about this for some reason. So, okay, I’ll help. But you two have to solve this… awkward tension between you.”

“What tension? There’s no tension.” Sana objects, eyes turning to Momo for confirmation once again, “Momo? Is there tension?”

The dancer gulps, averts her gaze from Sana’s and answers in a quiet voice. “Uhm, maybe a little.” 

“Momo!” Sana interjects scandalously, “You are supposed to be on my side.”

“You are kind of intimidating!” 

Dahyun sets her cup down and gives Momo a quizzical look. “Really? She’s like a talking marshmallow.”

“I know…” Momo’s voice trails off at the end of the sentence, suddenly tensing upon the actual danger of talking about her feelings in front of two people who are practically strangers, “It’s just… you make this being on camera thing look so easy when in reality, it’s not. I feel, how to put it, inferior to you of some sorts.”

Shying away from the curious gazes she feels on her face, Momo turns away, only to be nudged by Sana. 

“Hey.” The woman tries to catch her attention, “It’s just because I’m used to it. And honestly, I’m always terrified of saying something wrong. Don’t think I’m not because I play it cool. I’m sorry I made you feel like that, I’ll look out for you from now on.”

Before Momo can detach her gaze from Sana’s captive one and form a coherent response, Dahyun lets out a loud  _ awww _ , clinging her hands on her heart. 

“You guys, that was so cute!” She claims, a dreamy smile plastered on her face, “Maybe you two aren’t as awkward as you seem. Your fans and rest of the public also needs to see this.”

“I know… But where do we even start?” Sana says, her voice a bit hopeless. Momo realizes that until now she hadn’t let Momo see that side of her, because Sana wanted to be dependable for her. It warms Momo’s heart. 

“As I told you, it starts with more personal things. Scripted radios, produced shows and all that glamour won’t help you in convincing people. If you want to be perceived as a couple, you should act like one regardless of presence of a camera. So I suggest Sana goes on a livestream, solo, like she usually does.” 

The fake-couple listen to the manager with all their focus on her, nodding along with her plan. When Dahyun finishes her explanation, Sana looks more enthusiastic. “That actually could work!” 

Dahyun raises her eyebrow. “Of course, I came up with it.” 

Sana rolls her eyes at her newly hired manager and grabs her phone. “So, should I tweet that I’m going live, so that people would know?” 

“I already did, when I came here.” Dahyun says, setting up Sana’s livestream. “So, just like we agreed, okay?” 

Sana nods. “Press the button when you’re ready.” Dahyun commands, sitting somewhere behind the camera and observing Sana quietly. Momo takes her bag and leaves the apartment like they agreed. They were going to pretend that Momo came home during the live-stream, surprising Sana. 

So, Momo goes down to the street, checking around her to see if there are any nearby markets. When she spots one, she takes her sweet time walking there, she needs all the time she can waste. 

Once inside, she takes a look around, heading towards the snack shelves. Deciding that getting chips and popcorn to act like she planned on watching a movie would look realistic, her basket quickly fills up. Isn’t that what girlfriends do anyway? Watch movies and… kiss? 

Momo snorts at herself, checking her phone to see if there is a message from Dahyun, telling her to come. When she sees there is none, she heads towards the beers, knowing full well that there is beer at Sana’s house. She wants to look like a caring and fun girlfriend for the fans, it’s the least she could do. 

After paying for her purchase, she makes her way back to the idol’s apartment. Just as she reaches Sana’s floor, Dahyun texts her to come back. 

Momo punches the code of Sana’s door and takes a deep breath before pushing it open. “Satang! I’m home!” She says loudly and in Japanese. Dahyun smiles at her from the corner as Sana acts as if she’s surprised. “Honey?” She replies back in Korean, looking off the screen, leaving fans to furiously type away in the chat. Sana looks back at her camera with a smile that is radiating sunshine. “Guys, I’ll be right back, just gotta welcome my girlfriend.” She says wiggling her eyebrows.

Sana gets up from her seat and walks to her side, faking a kiss sound. “Welcome, Momoring. You should have called, I just started a live-stream.” Sana says low enough that it actually sounds like they are normally talking but loud enough for the mic to pick up. 

“It’s okay, I’ll wait.” Momo says, playing the understanding girlfriend. “Your fans must have missed you.” 

“But I missed you too ~ ” Sana says whining, Momo rolls her eyes. 

“You saw me this morning, you giant baby.” Momo teases her. “Go and talk with your fans, say hi from me, I’ll pick the movie. Maybe I can finally pick something good now that you’re not butting in every second.” 

Sana giggles and goes back to her room. “Sorry for making you wait guys. Momo says hi!” 

She reads a few comments and laughs out loud. “No, that wasn’t me pretending to be Momo! I’m not that desperate, you guys. Am I, Momo?” Sana yell-asks her. 

“You are a bit desperate at times, honey.” Momo says back, causing Sana to stick her tongue out to her. 

“Don’t listen to her, Sannies, I’m really cool in person.” 

Sana continues her stream for twenty more minutes, she laughs with fans, she sings a bit, answers questions… 

“Alright guys, I should go now, Momo’s waiting for me and I believe she’ll finish the popcorn if I don’t stop her soon.” 

After reading a few comments, she calls for Momo. “Momoring, they want to say bye to you too!” 

Momo gets up from her seat and walks to Sana’s room, sticking her head from the side of the camera. “Hello ~ ”  She says waving a hand. Sana looks at her with eyes filled with hearts and puts her hands on her mouth giggling. “Momo-yah! That was too cute!” 

Momo blushes a cute shade of pink and scratches her neck. “Uh, I just wanted to say that I, uh, looked at your guys’s comments on SNS and your overwhelming support really moved me. Thank you all so much and I will do my best and work hard to be a good girlfriend to Sana.” Momo says, looking at anywhere else but the screen because she’s feeling a bit embarrassed. “Thank you all so much.” 

Momo bows fully towards the camera. Sana gives her a look that Momo can best describe as approval and they wave goodbye until Sana ends the live to let the two take a deep breath again.

Dahyun emerges from her hiding spot in an instant, clapping like she had just been to the best concert of her life. “You girls! That was so good. A bit corny at times, but we can work on it. Now, another challenge awaits you two!”

 

* * *

 

“How close should we stand?” Momo whispers to Sana discreetly as the last of the sunrays of the day dances on Sana’s face as the sun sets, leaving them with the light of dimly lit street lights.

Instead of responding Sana only wraps an arm around Momo’s shoulders to ease her nerves. 

“Have you done this before?”

The question makes Sana turn to Momo with a quizzical look. “Done what before?”

“This…” Momo lowers her voice, “This fake dating thing.”

Sana chuckles, honey dripping from the corners of her smile. “Of course not. But I know a thing or two about dating.”

Their restaurant is fancy, to say the least. It is a kind that Momo wouldn’t be able to afford if she wasn’t sitting in front of the nation’s first love here, not even if she worked for three years straight without making any extra expenses. She feels somehow out of place, feeling the looks of the people around on her back. But the soloist’s presence makes it better, her shining eyes doesn’t leave Momo not even for a second. 

It was a part of Dahyun’s masterplan to send them out on a real date. As real as it could be, Momo supposes, when both of them are very much aware of the true nature of their relationship.  

When the waiter arrives Sana makes it a show out of leaning on her side of the table and gazing at Momo with -obviously fake to her- love-filled eyes. “I think we’re going with the steak. Can you please open a bottle of red wine, preferably a ‘65? We’re celebrating something.”

The waiter politely nods and Momo is once again reminded of the past. Sana, with her sharp eyes, notices that she’s zoning out for a second and asks, “What are you thinking of?”

A little bit baffled over the girl’s sudden interest, Momo halts for a moment before answering. “I used to work as a waitress. So that’s what I remembered of.”

“Oh, you did?” Sana questions further, eyes sparkling with some kind of well-masked curiosity that Momo can’t tell if it’s fake or not, “Was it a hard time for you?”

Momo tries her best to not shy away from having Sana’s undivided attention, replying in a cool manner. “Yeah, dancing doesn’t pay much at first.”

“Neither does being an idol.” Sana encloses, giggling to herself for some reason, “I used to work at an arcade.” 

Momo feels her mouth part with surprise. For some reason she had always thought Sana was always in this rich, talented and successful state of hers. “Really? Where?”

“When I was a trainee.” Sana explains, shaking her head at her memories, “You would be surprised at how many kids got stuck trying to collect their prizes from claw machines.” When Momo takes her time to respond, Sana speaks once again. “Why are you so shocked? Did you actually think I never worked in my entire life?”

“No!” Momo feels the need to clarify, “I mean, it’s hard to see you as someone who works at some arcade. I don’t mean this as you’re not humble, you are. But you also… shine in a way.”

Sana looks at her with an unreadable expression for a few moments. Momo feels her face heating and their wine isn’t even there yet to put the blame on. She’s said too much. “Momo, this is one of the most friendly conversation we’ve ever had. Maybe we should go on more dates.” 

Fake dates, Momo wants to correct, fake dates filled with fake smiles and fake compliments. But she doesn’t, for one part she knows that that’s not the case at all at this point.

“Maybe.” Momo cuts it short, “At what time we should leave to run into the paparazzis Dahyun hired?”

Sana visibly winces as if she’s been faced with the harsh reality that this all is a sweet delusion. Her eyes leave Momo’s figure for the first time ever since they sat down and when she speaks up, her voice is much less cheerful than before. “Around 11 PM. They’ll be waiting around the corner. We should act like we haven’t noticed them.”

Honestly, Momo doesn’t want to keep acting as if she doesn’t enjoy Sana’s company at all. Because after all, she does. The soloist simply reminds her of back home in a way Momo can’t quite put into words. However, she feels vulnerable under Sana’s unwavering gaze most times. She has to be in control, otherwise she foresees that everything would come crashing down. Momo is an observer. She knows Sana tends to come too close, but she also knows that they would be tangled inside a nest of complications if she lets her. So, she tries not to be affected when Sana’s smile falters, when she becomes less talkative during the rest of the dinner. Walls between them are necessary to keep them both happy after this play is over and the red curtains of the theatre are brought down. Back to strangers, they will be.

Momo keeps her head up and mind clear, she won’t ever be affected by Sana’s empty compliments and eye catching smiles. 


	7. Suspicion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Momo is stuck in a lie.

To say the least… Momo is confused. Previously she had thought this would be a nightmare, a punishment of a rash decision but Sana’s not at all what she expected. She always seen idols as pretentious, almost mechanical. She had thought that they lived inside their own little worlds and forgot about the rest. The younger is none of those things to Momo’s surprise. She is warm, her aura is vibrant in a sparkling way. Having her by her side is oddly comforting to Momo, even if she’s childish and teasing sometimes. It must be the fact that she’s not used to spotlight, surely it’s nice to have Sana who’s been doing this for so much longer than Momo during the moments of broadcast. She’s come to accept this reality where Sana’s her girlfriend in the eyes of everyone else at last, deciding that the advantages outweigh the difficulties. First of all, this stunt had taken a toll on her career, Momo’s phone’s been blowing up different offers of gigs in and outside Korea. She is a good dancer, that goes without saying but she can’t deny that ‘dating’ Sana had opened a whole new world of opportunities for her. 

“Yo, Socrate, are you gonna eat that one last chicken wing on your plate?” Jeongyeon’s hand is threateningly hovering above Momo’s chicken wing, her menacing words immediately getting Momo out of her haze. She forcefully pushes Jeongyeon’s arm away from her food, all while sulking.

“Back off!” She cries out, “Nayeon, take your girlfriend away from my meal.”

Nayeon responds this by rolling her eyes and then pushing Jeongyeon by the arm, which ensues with Jeongyeon whining because of Nayeon’s ‘dipped in fried chicken’ hands touching her. Momo giggles at her friend’s antics, making a show out of eating the last piece of fried chicken and sticking her tongue out. 

“That’s gross, Momo.” Jeongyeon sighs, oddly cuddled up to Nayeon despite their little disagreement from earlier, “Really, I lost all my appetite right now.”

“It’s only fair since you swallowed a bucket of chicken just now.” Nayeon sarcastically answers, yet still looks at Jeongyeon affectionately. “Anyway, Momo, we need to talk.”

Momo’s slightly alarmed by the sudden change in her friend’s tone, puzzled she tries to find an indication of their upcoming talk in the couple’s faces but their expressions don’t give away a thing. “Okay,” She starts reluctantly, “What is it? Shouldn’t we be waiting for Mina and Jihyo?”

Jeongyeon flinches only barely, and replies. “No, apparently they are having a busy day at the office. They are going to be a little late.”

Momo frowns at the thought. “Mina didn’t say anything to me.” 

Nayeon sighs, “Momo, that’s what we’ve been wanting to talk to you about. What’s going on with you?”

“What’s going on with me?” Momo repeats, suddenly lost, “What do you mean by that?”

Nayeon and Jeongyeon share a look as if they’re still on the brink of enclosing the secret topic to Momo even after getting to this point of the conversation. Finally, Nayeon wipes her hands on the napkin with no rush and opens her mouth to speak. 

“You… you with Sana the idol. What’s up with that?” She lowers her voice a little, “You were just mooning over Mina since damn college years or something.”

Anger suddenly bubbling up inside her, Momo’s expression hardens. “What? Am I not allowed to like someone else than Mina? Would you two rather me sulking while Mina’s out with some other girl than this?”

“So, you’re just dating her to forget Mina?” It’s Jeongyeon who accuses this time, making Momo see red. 

“No!” The dancer exclaims, “God, it’s like you don’t even know me. All those years I haven’t dated because of her. Why would I start now? Is it so hard to believe that I’ve moved on and found someone that I like?”

“Momo, calm down.” Nayeon warns, eyes hosting uneasiness, “I’m sorry if it came out wrong. We’re just worried about you two, that’s all.”

“Yeah, Mina told us that you two haven’t been talking as much.”

“You weren’t supposed to tell her that, idiot!”

“Why am I even dat-”

“She said that?” Momo intervenes curiously, “I’m aware but I’ve been so busy with all those interviews and well, Sana.” 

“See? You’re neglecting her. Bros before hoes, Hirai!” Nayeon grins, “And she’s been so down too, you’re the only one who can get her out of her shell but you’re not around. You know how she’s like when she’s upset.”

“Oh.” So, Mina has been sad. But Momo’s been too occupied to notice. Feeling the deep regret in her heart, she admits to herself that maybe she’s been too into this whole façade. Sana’s not more important than Mina, she has to remember that. “I’ll talk to her. I won’t tell on you two, don’t worry.”

“Good, it’s my job to keep this friend group together.” Nayeon nods determinedly, and then adds in a hurried voice, “Also, if you’re serious about Minatozaki Sana, why don’t you introduce her to us? She needs our approval, famous idol or not.”

A shiver runs down Momo’s spine at the thought of all of them being in the same room together. That one time Mina ran into Sana in her apartment was filled with awkwardness, after all. Still, thinking that it’d be too suspicious of her to refuse the offer, she nervously giggles. “Okay, I’ll ask her when she’s free. I’m sure she’d be glad to meet you guys. Oh, she already met Mina though.”

“She did?!” Jeongyeon blurts out in a rush, “How did it go?”

“Uh… fine?” Momo’s not sure of the meaning behind the surprised looks on the pair’s faces. “They ran into each other the other day in my apartment.”

“That’s final then.” Nayeon concludes, “Bring her next time, okay? Let’s see what are her intentions with our Momoring.”

 

**

 

“Mitang!” 

It’s Momo’s voice that fills the law office’s corridors, clearly looking for her best friend who is apparently working overtime. Her footsteps echo through the thin walls and soon later, she’s pushing the heavy wooden door that leads to Mina’s personal study. 

“Mina?” There Mina is, her desk covered with stacks of paper and her head on one them, seemingly napping. Momo sighs upon seeing the sight, she knows that the younger has a back pain that never goes away and her long working hours is the reason. She gently touches the lawyer’s shoulder, slightly shaking her to make her wake up. “Wake up, you sleepyhead. It’s not good for you to sleep like this.”

The woman in question stirs, her eyelids slowly open, revealing her chocolate brown eyes. She seems surprised for a second, then she relaxes, a small smile forming on her face. “Momo? When did you get here?”

Momo can’t help but giggle at the sight before her even though she wants to scold Mina for staying behind to do some more work to the point where she just falls into slumber on her desk with exhaustion. 

“Just now.” She answers with a hushed voice, “Now, get up. Let me drive you home, you look like a nightmare.”

This comment finally gets a reaction out of Mina. A frown settles on her face as she’s fixing her hair. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Momo nudges Mina’s shoulder. “Nothing... Now come here. I’m afraid you’ll fall asleep once again.”

Thankfully Mina’s a whole lot more awake when they’re settled in Momo’s car, for the sake of conversation. Momo doesn’t know where to start, she doesn’t even know why she’s getting so nervous, it’s just Mina after all.

The younger takes the lead, like she does most of the times, and becomes the first one to break the tense silence. “So… how’s life?”

If it was some other time, Momo would’ve laughed at the absurdity of them running out of topics to talk about. But right now, it seems horribly like they are just trying to avoid the obvious.

“Mina…” She starts, not quite sure of how to continue, “You don’t have to do this.”

The beat of silence that follows is one of the most stressful moments in Momo’s life. But Mina shakes her head and speaks up with a stiff, cold tone. “Do what Momo? I’m just trying to make conversation.”

Momo gulps. “We’re not strangers, Mina. You don’t have to make small talk with me.”

“But why does it feel like that?” Mina huffs, eyes fixed on the road, “You’re not even telling me things anymore.”

Momo slightly taps her fingers against the steering wheel as she hits the brakes to stop in front of a red light. “Ah, so that’s what it’s about.”

Mina looks ashamed of what she had revealed for a moment, “I- yes.” 

Momo pauses to calm her thoughts for a while, it seems like Mina’s doing the same thing too. The frightening silence is broken when Momo takes the exit that leads to a gas station and stops the car.

“Mina, I never meant to shut you off like this.” She starts desperately, shaking her head at herself, “It’s just that things have been hectic lately with this whole public relationship thing and I just… lost my direction.”

“With Sana, you mean.” Mina’s tone is bitter yet she’s still holding herself proudly, looking directly into Momo’s eyes. “Momo, I shouldn’t have learned that you’re dating someone through celebrity life news.”

Not knowing where to direct her frustration, Momo takes her head inside her hands and sighs. “You’re right, but I couldn’t really go around and telling everyone since she’s-”

“That’s what I am?” Mina cuts off, her eyes read hurt, “Everyone? You thought that I’d go around asking for discounts since my best friend is dating a k-pop star?”

“Mina, no!” Momo’s almost defeated but she keeps on trying, “That’s not what I meant… I’m just, I’m sorry, okay? That’s the best thing I can say.”

The tense silence that follows is one of the worst moments of Momo’s life. When Mina speaks again, there’s a hint of suspicion in her voice. “This thing between you and her… It’s real, right? Please tell me if it’s something else entirely, Momo, it’s been bugging me for a while.”

Momo freezes at Mina’s words. Does she know? Does she read Momo’s mind after all? For a split second, she thinks of coming clean. Mina would be mad, of course but still supportive. Maybe it would ease her burden, having a reliable friend by her side. However, she glances at Mina’s face and remembers why she’s doing this at the first place. 

“It’s real, Mina.” She answers, “We’re seriously together.”

 

**

Momo climbs up the stairs that leads to her floor after dropping Mina home and encounters an even more horrifying sight than Mina’s questioning eyes before her. 

“Momo!” It’s her mother, along with her father and sister, with luggages in their hands and huge smiles on their faces. Momo can’t get over the shock of seeing her family members so suddenly for a few seconds as she hesitantly murmurs, “Uh, what are you guys doing here?”

This, of course, erupts a huge chaos inside the hall, her mother’s voice echoing from the naked walls of the corridor. “We came to visit you, of course! Momo, why did we find out that you had a girlfriend through the news! A famous one too!”

Oh.

Momo nervously gulps upon seeing her family’s expectant looks. Fidgeting in the spot she’s standing on, she opens her mouth to finally come clean.

Only to be interrupted by her sister.

“I heard that she’s lovely!” Hana exclaims, “Someone in my dance crew apparently was her backup dancer a few years ago. So, one day he was like ‘Congratulations.”. Naturally, I was so confused. But th-”

“Hana.” She stops the older before she goes into further details of her story. A tiny sprout of guilt starting to grow inside her chest, “Let’s talk about this inside, hm?

Momo jingles the door keys in her hand, hoping that the topic will be dropped once they spot how horribly chaotic her place is. She takes her time under the curious gazes and when she finally opens the door she still hasn’t found a way to avoid the mess about to come. She quietly shakes off her shoes by the entrance, slipping into her cartoon pig-shaped slippers. It’s not until she anxiously turns back to her family that she properly breathes again, under immense stress suddenly.

“So, Momo, how’s she like?” It’s her dad this time who speaks up, eyes shining over the possibility that her youngest daughter finding the love of her life.

“She’s, uh,”  _ Not what you think, _ she wants to say before she glances over their faces one by one. Reading the room correctly must be a curse. “She’s great!”

Happiness spreads over their expressions slowly as if it’s contagious for a brief moment, the aww’s and ooh’s spilling from their mouths. “Momo, I’m so happy for you.” Her mother gives her a warm hug, “We were so worried, you’re just so shy.”

“Thanks, mom.” She hesitates, lips forming a fragile smile, “I’m in a place where I’m happier, thankfully.”

“Is it because of her?” Hana wiggles her eyebrows, Momo almost wants to groan but manages to keep an almost lovesick expression on her face.

“Yeah… I guess you could say that.” Momo feels her face heating up, “I… like her.”

It doesn’t feel that wrong, saying it. Maybe a while ago, she might’ve felt even more awkward talking about Sana with her family. But nowadays, she’s strangely in character so it’s not that difficult to act like she’s crazy about the soloist. 

“So…” Her father starts, and even before he ends his words Momo knows what he’s going to ask for. Oh, dear God. “When can we meet her?”

“Ah, haha, I don’t know. She’s really busy and…”

“Oh, so she doesn’t make time for you?”

“It’s not that!” Momo defends Sana’s honor. She shakes her head at herself with surprise, reminding herself that Sana’s not her actual girlfriend. “She does. It’s just…” She sighs in defeat, “I’ll ask her.”

 

**

 

**Me:**

a horrible thing just happened

 

**My Actual Girlfriend:**

whAT 

ARE YOU OK???   
  


**Me:**

im good

my parents are in town tho

 

**My Actual Girlfriend:**

Oh… dont scare me like that

So?

 

**Me:**

they wanna meet you

 

**My Actual Girlfriend:**   
Oh

I assume they dont know… the thing?

 

**Me:**

im sorry

i just didnt have the heart to tell them

they were so sure that id die alone….

id completely understand if you didnt want to…

 

**My Actual Girlfriend:**

No it’s totally okay, I want to

Plus

I told you that your minatozaki sana dating experience has started

Didnt i ;)

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello! i'm so sorry it's been so long... it's just that life happens :<   
> hope you liked this chapter and you can you can drop your thoughts on [twitter](https://twitter.com/buzukiff) or [curiouscat](https://curiouscat.me/buzukiff) as always!! c:


	8. Consideration

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Sana meets the parents.

 

All things considered, there’s no reason for Sana to feel nervous. Momo is not even her real girlfriend for starters, her parents not liking her shouldn’t be much of an issue when all the business they have with each other, hopefully, will be ending shortly in the span of three months. Besides, even if Sana had a reason to care, which she absolutely doesn’t, she considers herself fairly good with parents, or with people for that matter. Sana’s managed to charm the entire South Korean general public when the odds were completely against her, why wouldn’t it be easy to make Momo’s parents like her just for one night?

Yet, Sana’s stuck staring at Momo’s apartment door, sweaty palms clinging to the flamboyant bouquet of flowers she had bought earlier. It’s utterly stupid of her to be this anxious over something so unimportant, she knows this. Especially when she was speaking so sure of herself with Momo just a few days ago.

_I got this, Momo, I’ll act like the best fake girlfriend you’ve ever seen._

Faking confidence has been Sana’s job for so many years now that she doesn’t even recognize that she slips right into the act naturally even in her daily life. Now she just needs to do it one more time to get through this dinner. With a firm decision, she makes up her mind. If this was a functioning actual relationship, meeting the parents would be a huge step towards leading a joined life together. Surely, her and Momo clearly aren’t in a romantic relationship, which Sana is very well aware of. However, her theory is that even though her mind is in clear awareness about the true nature of their relationship, her body is still following some kind of a pattern purely led by muscle memory. They go out together and do all kinds of couple-y things, make eyes at each other in front of a curious crowd, Sana reasons that any normal person would be at least a little affected by this close proximity. In conclusion, the giddy feeling that she gets in her stomach sometimes when she glances at the dancer’s direction or her tenseness upon meeting her parents is totally acceptable.

She knocks on the door with a swift motion of her wrist while getting stiff in her place. What if her Japanese is all rusty? 

The door opens before she can even start panicking, revealing Momo’s face behind it. She’s wearing a flower-printed dress, not something too casual but not something too formal either. Her red-colored lips form a smile when their eyes meet, and she takes a step further to envelop Sana in a tight hug before the idol can hand over the flowers. Sana’s heart clenches when she recognizes that Momo’s actions are purely fake.

“Baby!” Momo cries out, maybe a bit too enthusiastically, “I missed you.”

Sana can’t help but snort. Momo’s good at many things, but apparently lying isn’t one of them.

“Me too!” She tries her best to give an excited response, “And I can’t wait to meet your family.”

“Well, you don’t have to wait for that long!” A voice behind them comments, making them separate quickly. Sana finds herself looking at a petite woman, very much looking like Momo herself.

“Hi!” She cries out, bowing hastily, “You must be Hana-san. It’s very nice to meet you.”

“Likewise.” Momo’s sister states, she arches an eyebrow amusedly, “It’s nice to chat with a celebrity in real life, you know.”

Sana hurriedly shakes her head, motioning with her hands that it’s not true. “Please, don’t see me as a celebrity. I just want to be Momo’s girlfriend in your eyes.”

She feels herself tense as she waits for a response, debating whether or not she’s gone too far in her mind. Addressing herself as Momo’s girlfriend is still sort of nerve-wrecking. Suddenly, Momo’s older sister lets out a hearty laugh, the bright sound echoing in the entrance. Sana dumbfoundedly notices that the sisters have the same giggle.

“Very well, Sana-san.” Hana gestures to the hall that leads to the living room, “Mom and dad are waiting for you. Let’s go inside, hm?”

As it turns out, Momo’s grown up in an actual family of angels. Her mom and dad are so nice to the point where it makes Sana wonder why they aren’t as uncomfortable as she is. Sana blinks when Momo’s dad makes another joke about Momo’s childhood and Mrs. Hirai asks her if she wants more dessert as Momo absentmindedly plays with her fingers under the table. She feels remorseful about lying to all these nice people, bitterness settling in her heart. A part of her wants to take back the hand that’s intertwined with Momo’s, but she decides against it. She doesn’t want to break her promise of being convincing even if she’s experiencing whiplash because of the change in the dancer’s behavior. She wasn’t expecting Momo to go such lengths in terms of physical contact just to convince her parents.

She excuses herself to the bathroom after dessert, only to splash some cold water on her face and remind herself that it’s not real. This whole night is obviously playing tricks on Sana’s mind, putting some ideas that she doesn’t want to think about in her head.

It’s normal to be flustered after getting flirted with for the entirety of dinner, she reminds herself, she’s only human after all. Besides, it’s been a while since she last dated. Pushing her frustration with herself to the side, she exits the bathroom and re-enters the lively living room where the members of the Hirai family are seated on the couch, intently watching the latest episode of a Korean variety show. Momo stops her translation midway to glance at Sana with a smile, then she just goes back to explaining a joke to her parents as if nothing happened.

Sana’s heart swells for a moments before she collects herself and starts chatting with Hana.

It’s not until she and Momo are outside of the door that this giddiness occupying her thoughts goes away. She listens to the other woman speaking in a hushed voice, but she feels as if she’s in some distant dreamland.

“Hey, you were really good today.” A nervous giggle escapes Momo’s lips, “I can’t thank you enough for that.”

“No need for that.” Sana answers after a pause, “It’s my job after all. We have an agreement.”

Momo’s face tenses with a slight frown after hearing this, as if she was hoping for some kind of different response than the cold truth. “Oh, right… Still, I think it was a bit of a stretch for me to ask you of this. So, thanks, really.”

“Well, I couldn’t let your parents think that Minatozaki Sana is too busy to meet her girlfriend’s family, could I?”

“Hah! As if you’re not recently unemployed.” Momo jokes, eyes crinkling with mischief, “Or did you have better dinner plans?”

Sana’s partially aware that they’re having this conversation in the hall that leads to the tatty elevator of Momo’s apartment building and anyone who decides to put a water glass against their door could eavesdrop easily but she’s not sure if she gives a damn.

“I think watching Netflix and being hopeless about my recent unemployment doesn’t count, so no.” She plays along, and then she adds hastily with a sudden rush of excitement, “Do you think I should do anything about that?"

Momo knits her eyebrows while asking in confusion, “About what? Dinner plans?”

“No, I mean, do you remember when I said that I’ve been thinking of establishing a one-woman agency?” Sana explains, she’s not sure why she’s asking Momo for advice when she hasn’t talked about this to anyone else yet, “Though I still have my doubts.”

“What are you afraid of?” Momo inquires, urging Sana to pour her heart out. She’s staring at Sana with curious eyes.

“I don’t know a thing about business, Momo.” She starts, her mouth reciting thoughts she didn’t even know she had, “And what if the general public isn’t interested in me anymore? Oh God, what if my fans have all moved on and left?”

In her moment of panic, Sana hadn’t noticed that Momo’s come closer and now she’s grabbing her by the shoulders, gently shaking her.

“Sana, hey, it’s okay.” She speaks even more softly now if that’s possible, “From what I understand you love what you do, right? It’s better to do what you love even though you’ll encounter hardships. I mean… that’s what I think. Besides, you wouldn’t be all alone.”

Sana can’t help but put her arms around Momo, gently pulling her into her embrace. “I wouldn’t?” She asks, letting a bubble of hope grow. Maybe Momo thinks that they don’t have to be total strangers after all this end.

“Absolutely!” Momo pats her back, “Dahyun would be with you the whole time. Also, you’d have lawyers and stuff for that, I guess.”

 “Oh.”

It’s always painful to realize that someone you care about doesn’t give you the same amount of attention back. Sana pulls away from the hug to glance at Momo’s face, maybe she’s only joking in some kind of Momo-fashioned weird joke. But the dancer seems sincere, unaware of the heartbreak she just caused.

“You’re right.” Sana tries to sound cheerful, “I wouldn’t be alone. Huh, why didn’t I think of that before?” She fishes her phone out of her pocket and checks the time, “Look at the time, I better go. Good night, Momo.”

She makes her way to the elevator with rushed steps, hoping that Momo doesn’t feel puzzled about her sudden change in tone. She doesn’t turn back when she hears the dancer’s voice calling for her.

“Sana, do you need a lift home?” Momo asks, a hint of worry evident in her voice, “I just need to grab my hoodie, then we’re good to go.”

Pressing the elevator button, Sana shakes her hand. “No, it’s okay. I… I think Dahyun can pick me up. I have some stuff to do. Thanks for the offer, Momo.”

 

**

 

“Dahyun, I am so stupid.”

“Huh? Unnie, what are y-”

Sana pushes Dahyun and makes her way into the younger’s apartment, ready to vent her heart out.

“It’s Momo!” Sana cries out, pacing back and forth in the room. She can’t quite explain why she is feeling so uncomfortable the more she thinks of their previous conversation. She’s come directly to Dahyun because she’s the only one she can talk about this with. She finally glances at her manager like she’s just woken up from a daze, the woman before her is wearing her pajamas, sleepiness is evident in her tired eyes.

“Did I wake you up?”

Dahyun sighs and drags her feet on the couch, sits down and then glares at Sana. “Obviously.”

“I’m so sorry!” Sana cries out, sincerely feeling guilty. This fuzzy feeling had been messing with her head so much that she couldn’t grasp an idea of time. “You know what… just go back to sleep. What I was going to say wasn’t that important anyway.”

“I’m awake already, and apparently it’s important enough for you to come all the way here and burst into my house. So, spill it.”

With this, Sana hesitates. She knows that the moment she says the words out loud, then they’ll stop being predeveloped thoughts inside her mind and start existing outside of her own consciousness. She’s about to plant tiny seeds of truth. This possibility scares Sana to no end.

“So?” Dahyun asks again, her eyes are half open that Sana wonders if she’s starting to fall asleep again, “What about Momo?”

“So, I met Momo’s parents today.”

“Uh-oh.”

“And we’ve been spending pretty much everyday together for the past month.”

Sana senses a ghost of a smile on Dahyun’s face even if the lights are still off and they can only see each other thanks to the moonlight that creeps inside between the open curtains. “I’m aware.”

“It makes me feel… weird.”

“Hm… how?”

“I’m just more… alarmed of her presence.” Sana attempts to explain, “I don’t like this. I think it’s because it’s confusing to be girlfriends outside but strangers when we are in private.”

“You say…” Dahyun doesn’t end that sentence but starts a new one instead, “Well, I’ll be real with you. Do you know what it sounds like to me?”

Sensing how will the rest of this conversation go, Sana groans. “No, don’t say it. Please, no.”

“I’m saying it.”

“No, I know what you’re going to say.”

“I don’t care, you need the truth.”

“Dahyun, I don’t need th-“

“You have feelings for Momo.”

“God, you said it.” Sana cringes, exasperated voice sounding almost too tired in the dark, “Eugh, I can’t believe this.”

Dahyun lets out a giggle. “Why? Do you hate the thought that much? You’d be cute, you know.”

“No, no, we wouldn’t.” Sana denies, “First of all, we’re too different. We’d get on each other’s nerves all the time. Besides, I don’t have to worry about any of that since she has a girl that she likes.”

“Is that jealousy I hear?” Dahyun teases, Sana feels her stand up. Apparently, she switches the light button on because the room is illuminated in a heartbeat.

“I’m not jealous!” Sana presses, “I don’t even like her that way, you are ridiculous.”

Dahyun quirks an eyebrow up, as if she wants to mock Sana further but doesn’t touch on the subject more. “Okay, do you want to have a sleepover?”

Hugging the pillow closest to her, Sana nods. The only thing that can get her out of this bad mood is a good laugh with friends. Yet, the odds aren’t in her favor as it seems, since Dahyun continues with,

“Oh, I managed to book you two for a variety show. It’s similar to Battle Trip, you just need to go on a vacation together for a few days and let yourselves be filmed while travelling. The editing staff will do the rest.”

Sana just groans loudly until Dahyun reminds her that her neighbors are probably sleeping.

 

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> long time no see yall! i'm sorry this is taking too long, i was just busy with some stuff :/ hope you enjoyed this chapter tho! 
> 
> you can always come talk to me on [twitter](https://twitter.com/buzukiff) or [curiouscat](https://curiouscat.me/buzukiff) c:


End file.
